*T*\  **rf       *-MM  «.*• 

CROWN 


7 


'She  was  going  to  have  a  look  ot  the  pictures,  she  said. 


The  Weight  of  the  Crown.— Page  z8 


THE    WEIGHT 


OF  THE  CROWN  | 

il 

as 


1 
m. 


.By  FRED.  M.  WHITE 


««  Tregsirthen's  Wife  "    "  The  Robe  of  Lucifer  " 
"The  Crimson  Blind"    etc. 


ILLUSTRATED 


s 


i 


88 


gg     R.  F.  FENNO  &  COMPANY,  Publishers 

1 8  East  Seventeenth  Street,    New  York  City     £Jg 

WARD  LOCK  &  CO.  LIMITED  :  LONDON 

1906 


Copyright  1904. 
By  Transatlantic  Preit,  Ltd, 


CONTENTS 


CHAP. 

I  WITHOUT  A  FRIEND    ,         .         .         .         7 

II  A  DESPERATE  VENTURE      .         .         .18 

III  ON  GUARD  *         .         •       30 

IV  THE  WARNING  LIGHT           ...       36 
V  DEEPER  STILL    ....         *       43 

VI  THE  PERIL  SPEAKS     .         ...       49 

VII  "  UNEASY  LIES  THE  HEAD  "        .         •       55 

VIII  THE  VERY  MAN  .....       61 

IX  "  PONGO  "  ......       72 

X  A  FRIEND  AT  COURT  ....       78 

XI  IN  THE  GARDEN           ....       84 

XII  A  PRODIGAL  SON         ....       90 

XIII  THE  MODERN  JOURNALIST  ...       96 

XIV  BAFFLED  !  ......     102 

XV  THE  SEARCH       .         .         .         .         .108 

XVI  WAS  IT  RUSSIA?         .         .         .         .114 

XVII  A  Bow  AT  A  VENTURE        .         .         .120 

XVIII  WATCHING      ......     126 

XIX  THE  QUEST  OF  THE  PAPERS.        .         .     132 

XX  A  SPECIAL  EFFORT      .         .         .         .138 

XXI  "  FOREWARNED,  FOREARMED  "      .         .     144 

6 


CONTENTS 


CHAP. 

PAGB 

XXII 

THE  TRAIL  GROWS      ... 

•       ISO 

XXIII 

GENERAL  MAXGREGOR          .         . 

.        IS6 

XXIV 

Ax  THE  WINDOW         .         .         . 

.       162 

XXV 

AN  UNEXPECTED  HONOUR   .         . 

.     168 

XXVI 

LOYAL  SILENCE            .         .         . 

.      174 

XXVII 

LECHMERE  TO  THE  RESCUE 

.      180 

XXVIII 

THE  POWER  OF  THE  PRESS          . 

.     186 

XXIX 

IN  MAXGREGOR'S  CHAMBERS         • 

.     192 

XXX 

HER  FRIEND,  THE  QUEEN  .         . 

.     198 

XXXI 

A  SURPRISE  FOR  JESSIE      .         . 

.     204 

XXXII 

No  TIME  TO  LOSE      .         .         . 

.       210 

XXXIII 

THE  FISH  ON  THE  LINE      .         . 

.     216 

XXXIV 

A  ROYAL  ACTOR          .         .         . 

.       222 

XXXV 

A  RACE  FOR  A  THRONE       .         . 

.       228 

XXXVI 

ANNETTE  TELLS  A  STORY     .         . 

•       234 

XXXVII 

CROSS  PURPOSES          ... 

.       240 

XXXVIII 

ON  BROKEN  GROUND           .         . 

.       246 

XXXIX 

IN  THE  CAMP  OF  THE  FOE  .         . 

.       252 

XL 

2<;8 

1    XLI 

ANNETTE  AT  BAY        ... 

.    264 

XLII 

THE  COUNTESS  RETURNS     .         . 

.    271 

XLIII 

IN  SEARCH  OF  THE  KING    .         , 

•    277 

XLIV 

XLV 

XLVI 

MATE  IN  Two  MOVES          .         . 

.    295 

XLVII 

THE  SITUATION  is  SAVED    .         . 

•    301 

XLVIII 

THE  PAPERS  AT  LAST          .         . 

•     307 

XLIX 

LOVE  AND  ROSES        .         .         . 

.    313 

THE  WEIGHT  OF  THE  CROWN 


CHAPTER   I 

WITHOUT  A  FRIEND 

THE  girl  stood  there  fighting  hard  to  keep  back 
the  tears  from  her  eyes.  The  blow  had  been 
so  swift,  so  unexpected.  And  there  was  the  hurt 
to  her  pride  also. 

"  Do  I  understand  that  I  am  dismissed,  Madame  ?  " 
Jessie  Harcourt  asked  quietly.  "  You  mean  that 
I  am  to  go  at  the  end  of  the  week  ?  " 

The  little  woman  with  the  faded  fair  hair  and  the 
silly  affectation  of  fashion  was  understood  to  say 
that  Miss  Harcourt  would  go  at  once.  The  pro- 
prietress of  the  fashionable  millinery  establishment 
in  Bond  Street  chose  to  call  herself  Madame  Mal- 
maison,  though  she  was  London  to  the  core.  Her 
shrill  voice  shook  a  little  as  she  spoke. 

"  You  are  a  disgrace  to  the  establishment,"  she 
said.  "  I  am  sorry  you  ever  came  here.  It  is 
fortunate  for  me  that  Princess  Mazaroff  took  the 
proper  view  so  far  as  I  am  concerned.  Your  con- 
duct was  infamous,  outrageous.  You  go  to  the 
Princess  to  try  on  hats  for  her  Highness,  and  what 
happens  ?  You  are  found  in  the  library  engaged 
in  a  bold  flirtation  with  her  Highness's  son,  Prince 
Boris.  Romping  together !  You  suffered  him  to 
kiss  you.  When  the  Princess  came  here  just  now 
and  told  me  the  story,  I  was " 

**  It  is  a  lie,"  Jessie  burst  out  passionately.  "A 
cowardly  He  on  the  part  of  a  coward.  Why  did  not 
that  Russian  cad  tell  the  truth  ?  He  came  into  the 


8  THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

drawing-room  where  I  was  waiting  for  the  Princess. 
Don't  interrupt  me,  I  must  speak,  I  tell  you." 

Madame  Malmaison  subsided  before  the  splendid 
fury  of  Jessie's  anger.  She  looked  more  like  a 
countess  than  a  shop  girl  as  she  stood  there  with 
her  beautiful  eyes  blazing,  the  flash  of  sorrow  on 
her  lovely  face.  Madame  Malmaison  had  always 
been  a  little  proud  of  the  beauty  and  grace  and 
sweetness  of  her  fitter-on.  Perhaps  she  felt  in  her 
heart  of  hearts  that  the  girl  was  telling  the  truth. 

"  I  hope  I  am  a  lady,"  Jessie  said  a  little  more 
gently — "  at  any  rate,  I  try  to  remember  that  I  was 
born  one.  And  I  am  telling  the  truth — not  that  it 
matters  much,  seeing  that  you  would  send  us  all 
into  the  gutter  rather  than  offend  a  customer  like  the 
Princess.  That  coward  said  his  mother  was  waiting 
for  me  in  the  library.  He  would  show  me  the  way. 
Then  he  caught  me  in  his  arms  and  tried  to  kiss  me. 
He  wanted  me  to  go  to  some  theatre  with  him  to- 
night. He  was  too  strong  for  me.  I  thought  I 
should  have  died  of  shame.  Then  the  Princess 
came  in,  and  all  the  anger  was  for  me.  And  that 
coward  stood  by  and  shirked  the  blame ;  he  let  it  pass 
that  I  had  actually  followed  him  into  the  library." 

The  girl  was  telling  the  truth,  it  was  stamped  on 
every  word  that  she  said.  Madame  Malmaison 
knew  it  also,  but  the  hard  look  on  her  greedy  face 
did  not  soften. 

"  You  are  wasting  my  time,"  she  said.  "  The 
Princess  naturally  prefers  her  version  of  the  story. 
And  she  has  demanded  your  instant  dismissal. 
You  must  go." 

Jessie  said  no  more.  There  was  proud  satis- 
faction in  the  fact  that  she  had  conquered  her 
tears.  She  moved  back  to  the  splendid  show-room 


WITHOUT   A    FRIEND  9 

with  its  Persian  carpets  and  Louis  Seize  furniture 
as  if  nothing  had  happened.  She  had  an  idea  that 
Madame  Malmaison  believed  her,  and  that  the 
latter  would  be  discreet  enough  to  keep  the  story  from 
the  other  hands.  And  Jessie  had  no  friends  there. 
She  could  not  quite  biing  herself  to  be  friendly  with 
the  others.  She  had  not  forgotten  the  days  when 
Colonel  Harcourt's  daughter  had  mixed  with  the  class 
of  people  whom  she  now  served.  Bitterly  Jessie  re- 
gretted that  she  had  ever  taken  up  this  kind  of  life. 

But  unhappily  there  had  been  no  help  for  it. 
Careless,  easy-going  Colonel  Harcourt  had  not 
troubled  much  about  the  education  of  his  two  girls; 
and  when  the  crash  came  and  he  died,  they  were 
totally  unfitted  to  cope  with  the  world.  The 
younger  girl,  Ada,  was  very  delicate,  and  so  Jessie 
had  to  cast  about  to  make  a  living  for  the  two. 
The  next  six  months  had  been  a  horror. 

It  was  in  sheer  desperation  that  Jessie  had  offered 
her  services  to  Madame  Malmaison.  Here  was  the 
ideal  fitter-on  that  that  shrewd  lady  required.  She 
was  prepared  to  give  a  whole  two  guineas  a  week  for 
Jessie's  assistance,  and  the  bargain  was  complete. 

"  Well,  it  was  all  over,  anyway,  now,"  Jessie  told 
herself.  She  was  dismissed,  and  that  without  a 
character.  It  would  be  in  vain  for  her  to  apply 
to  other  fashionable  establishments  of  the  kind 
unless  she  was  prepared  to  give  some  satisfactory 
reason  for  leaving  Madame  Malmaison.  Her  beauty 
and  grace  and  charm  would  count  for  nothing 
with  rival  managers.  The  bitter,  hopeless,  weary 
struggle  was  going  to  begin  all  over  again.  The 
two  girls  were  utterly  friendless  in  London.  In 
all  the  tragedy  of  life  there  is  nothing  more  sad  and 
pathetic  than  that. 


io          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

Jessie  conquered  the  feeling  of  despair  for  the 
moment.  She  had  all  her  things  to  arrange;  she 
had  to  tell  the  girl  under  her  that  she  was  leaving 
for  good  to-night.  She  had  had  a  dispute  with 
Madame  Malmaison,  she  explained,  and  she  would 
not  return  in  the  morning.  Jessie  was  surprised 
at  the  steadiness  of  her  own  voice  as  she  gave  the 
explanation.  But  her  cold  fingers  trembled,  and 
the  tears  were  very  heavy  in  the  beautiful  eyes. 
Jessie  was  praying  for  six  o'clock  now. 

Mechanically  she  went  about  her  work.  She  did 
not  heed  or  hear  the  chatter  of  her  companions; 
she  did  not  see  that  somebody  had  handed  her  a 
note.  Somebody  said  that  there  was  no  answer, 
and  Jessie  merely  nodded.  In  the  same  dull  way 
she  opened  the  letter.  She  saw  that  the  paper  was 
good,  she  saw  that  the  envelope  bore  her  name. 
There  was  no  address  on  the  letter,  which  Jessie 
read  twice  before  having  the  most  remote  idea 
of  its  meaning. 

A  most  extraordinary  letter,  Jessie  decided,  when 
at  length  she  had  fixed  her  mind  into  its  usual 
channel.  She  read  it  again  in  the  light  of  the 
sunshine.  There  was  no  heading,  no  signature. 

"  I  am  writing  to  ask  you  a  great  favour  (the 
letter  ran).  I  should  have  seen  you  and  explained, 
but  there  was  no  time.  If  you  have  any  heart  and 
feeling  you  cannot  disregard  this  appeal.  But 
you  will  not  ignore  it,  however,  because  you  are  as 
good  and  kind  as  you  are  beautiful.  The  happiness 
of  a  distressed  and  miserable  woman  is  in  your 
hands.  Will  you  help  me  ? 

"  But  you  will  help  me,  I  am  certain.  Come 
to  17,  Gordon  Gardens,  to-night  at  half-past  nine 
o'clock.  Come  plainly  dressed  in  black,  and  take 


WITHOUT   A   FRIEND  n 

care  to  wear  a  thick  black  veil.  Say  that  you  are  the 
young  person  from  Forder's  in  Piccadilly,  and  that 
you  have  called  about  the  dress.  That  is  all  that 
I  ask  you  to  do  for  the  present.  Then  you  will 
see  me,  and  I  can  explain  matters  fully.  Dare  I 
mention  money  in  connection  with  this  case  ? 
If  that  tempts  you,  why  the  price  is  your  own.  £500, 
£1,000  await  you  if  you  are  bold  and  resolute." 

There  was  nothing  more,  no  kind  of  clue  to  the 
identity  of  the  writer.  Jessie  wondered  if  it  were 
some  mistake;  but  her  name  was  most  plainly 
written  on  the  envelope.  It  had  been  left  by  a 
district  messenger  boy,  so  that  there  was  no  way 
of  finding  out  anything.  Jessie  wondered  if  she  had 
been  made  the  victim  of  some  cruel  hoax.  Visions 
of  a  decoy  rose  before  her  eyes. 

And  yet  there  was  no  mistake  about  the  address. 
Gordon  Gardens  was  one  of  the  finest  and  most 
fashionable  squares  in  the  West  End  of  London. 
Jessie  fluttered  over  the  leaves  of  the  London 
Directory.  There  was  Gordon  Gardens  right  enough 
— Lady  Merehaven.  The  name  was  quite  familiar 
to  her,  though  the  lady  in  question  was  not  a  cus- 
tomer of  Madame  Malmaison's.  All  this  looked 
very  genuine,  so  also  did  the  letter  with  the  pas- 
sionate, pleading  tone  behind  the  somewhat  severe 
restraint  of  it  all.  Jessie  had  made  up  her  mind. 

She  would  go.  Trouble  and  disappointment 
had  not  soured  the  nobility  of  her  nature.  She 
was  ready  as  ever  to  hold  out  a  helping  hand  to 
those  in  distress.  And  she  was  bold  and  resolute, 
too.  Moreover,  as  she  told  herself  with  a  blush, 
she  was  not  altogether  indifferent  to  the  money. 
Only  a  few  shillings  stood  between  her  and  Ada  and 
absolute  starvation.  £500  sounded  like  a  fortune. 


12          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  I'll  go,"  Jessie  told  herself.  "  I'll  see  this  thing 
to  the  bitter  end,  whatever  the  adventure  may  lead 
to.  Unless,  of  course,  it  is  something  wrong  or 
dishonest.  But  I  don't  think  that  the  writer  of 
the  letter  means  that.  And  perhaps  I  shall  make  a 
friend.  God  knows  I  need  one." 

The  closing  hour  came,  and  Jessie  went  her  way. 
At  the  corner  of  New  Bond  Street  a  man  stood 
before  her,  and  bowed  with  an  air  of  suggested 
politeness.  He  had  the  unmistakable  air  of  the 
dissipated  life ;  he  was  well  dressed,  and  handsome, 
in  a  picturesque  way.  But  the  mouth  under  the 
close-cropped  beard  was  hard  and  sensual ;  the  eyes 
had  that  in  them  that  always  fills  the  heart  of  a 
girl  with  disgust. 

"  I  have  been  waiting  for  you,"  the  man  said. 
"  You  see  I  know  your  habits.  I  am  afraid  you 
are  angry  with  me." 

"  I  am  not  angry  with  you  at  all,"  Jessie  said 
coldly.  "  You  are  not  worth  it,  Prince  Boris. 
A  man  who  could  play  the  contemptible  cur  as  you 
played  it  this  morning " 

"  But,  ma  cherie,  what  could  I  do  ?  Madame 
la  Princess,  my  mother,  holds  the  purse-strings. 
I  am  in  disfavour  the  most  utter  and  absolute. 
If  my  mother  comes  to  your  establishment  and 
says " 

"  The  Princess  has  already  been.  She  has  told  her 
version  of  the  story.  No  doubt  she  heartily  be- 
lieves that  she  has  been  told  the  truth.  I  have 
been  made  out  to  be  a  scullery  girl  romping  with 
the  page  boy.  My  word  was  as  nothing  against  so 
valuable  a  client  as  the  Princess.  I  am  discharged 
without  a  character.'* 

Prince    Boris    stammered    something,    but    the 


WITHOUT   A   FRIEND  13 

cruel  light  of  triumph  in  his  eyes  belied  his  words. 
Jessie's  anger  flamed  up  passionately. 

"  Stand  aside  and  let  me  pass,"  she  said ;  "  And 
never  dare  to  address  me  again.  If  you  do,  I  will 
appeal  to  the  first  decent  man  who  passes,  and  say 
you  have  grossly  insulted  me.  I  have  a  small 
consolation  in  the  knowledge  that  you  are  not  an 
Englishman." 

The  man  drew  back  abashed,  perhaps  ashamed, 
for  his  dark  face  flushed.  He  made  no  attempt 
to  detain  Jessie,  who  passed  down  the  street  with 
her  cheeks  flaming.  She  went  on  at  length  until 
she  came  to  one  of  the  smaller  byways  leading  out 
of  Oxford  Street,  and  here,  before  a  shabby-looking 
house,  she  stopped  and  let  herself  in  with  a  latchkey. 
In  a  bare  little  room  at  the  top  of  the  house  a  girl 
was  busy  painting.  She  was  a  smaller  edition 
of  Jessie,  and  more  frail  and  delicate.  But  the 
same  pluck  and  spirit  were  there  in  Ada  Harcourt. 

**  What  a  colour ! "  the  younger  girl  cried. 
"  And  yet —  Jessie,  what  has  happened  I  ?  Tell  me." 

The  story  was  told — indeed,  there  was  no  help  for 
it.  Then  Jessie  produced  her  mysterious  letter. 
The  trouble  was  forgotten  for  the  time  being. 
The  whole  thing  was  so  vague  and  mysterious,  and 
moreover  there  was  the  promise  of  salvation  behind 
it.  Ada  flung  her  paint  brush  aside  hastily. 

"  You  will  go  ?  "  she  cried.  "  With  an  address 
like  that  there  can  be  no  danger.  I  am  perfectly 
certain  that  that  is  a  genuine  letter,  Jess,  and  the 
writer  is  in  some  desperate  bitter  trouble.  We 
have  too  many  of  those  troubles  of  our  own  to 
ignore  the  cry  of  help  from  another.  And  there 
is  the  money.  It  seems  a  horrible  thing,  but  the 
money  is  a  sore  temptation." 


14         THE   WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

Jessie  nodded  thoughtfully.  She  smiled,  too, 
as  she  noted  Ada's  flushed,  eager  face. 

"  I  am  going,"  she  said.  "  I  have  quite  made 
up  my  mind  to  that.  I  am  going  if  only  to  keep  my 
mind  from  dwelling  on  other  things.  Besides,  that 
letter  appeals  to  me.  It  seems  to  be  my  duty.  And 
as  you  say,  there  is  the  money  to  take  into  con- 
sideration. And  yet  I  blush  even  to  think  of  it." 

Ada  rose  and  walked  excitedly  about  the  room. 
The  adventure  appealed  to  her.  Usually  in  the 
stories  it  was  the  men  only  to  whom  these  exciting 
incidents  happened.  And  here  was  a  chance  for 
a  mere  woman  to  distinguish  herself.  And  Jessie 
would  do  it,  too,  Ada  felt  certain.  She  had  all  the 
courage  and  resolution  of  her  race. 

"  It's  perfectly  splendid !  "  Ada  cried.  "  I  feel 
that  the  change  of  our  fortunes  is  at  hand.  You 
are  going  to  make  powerful  friends,  Jessie;  we 
shall  come  into  our  own  again.  And  when  you  have 
married  the  prince,  I  hope  you  will  give  me  a  room 
under  the  palace  roof  to  paint  in.  But  you  must 
not  start  on  your  adventure  without  any  supper." 

Punctual  to  the  moment  Jessie  turned  into 
Gordon  Gardens.  Her  heart  was  beating  a  little 
faster  now ;  she  half  felt  inclined  to  turn  back  and 
abandon  the  enterprise  altogether.  But  then  such 
a  course  would  have  been  cowardly,  and  the  girl 
was  certainly  not  that.  Besides,  there  was  the  ever 
unceasing  grizzly  spectre  of  poverty  dangling  before 
Jessie's  eyes.  She  must  go  on. 

Here  was  No  17  at  length — a  fine,  double-fronted 
house,  the  big  doors  of  which  stood  open,  giving  a 
glimpse  of  the  wealth  and  luxury  beyond.  Across 
the  pavement,  to  her  surprise,  Jessie  noticed  that 
a  breadth  of  crimson  cloth  had  been  unrolled.  The 


WITHOUT   A   FRIEND  15 

girl  had  expected  to  find  the  house  still  and  quiet,  and 
here  were  evidences  of  social  festivities.  Inside 
the  hall  two  big  footmen  lounged  in  the  vestibule ; 
a  row  of  hats  testified  to  the  fact  that  there  were 
guests  here  to  dinner.  A  door  opened  somewhere, 
and  a  butler  emerged  with  a  tray  in  his  hand. 

As  the  door  opened  there  was  a  pungent  smell 
of  tobacco  smoke,  followed  by  a  bass  roll  of  laughter. 
Many  people  were  evidently  dining  there.  Jessie 
felt  that  she  needed  all  her  courage  now. 

It  was  only  for  a  moment  that  the  girl  hesitated. 
She  was  afraid  to  trust  her  own  voice;  the  great 
lump  in  her  throat  refused  to  be  swallowed. 
Then  she  walked  up  the  scarlet-covered  steps  and 
knocked  at  the  door.  One  of  the  big  footmen 
strolled  across  and  asked  her  her  business. 

"  I  am  the  young  person  from  Forder's,  in  Pic- 
cadilly," Jessie  said,  with  a  firmness  that  sur- 
prised herself.  "  I  was  asked  by  letter  to  come 
here  at  this  hour  to-night." 

"  Something  about  a  dress  ?  "  the  footman  asked 
flippantly.  "  I'll  send  and  see." 

A  moment  later  and  the  lady's  maid  was  inviting 
Jessie  up  the  stairs.  As  requested,  the  girl  had 
dressed  herself  in  black ;  she  wore  a  black  sailor 
hat  with  a  dark  veil.  Except  in  her  carriage  and 
the  striking  lines  of  her  figure,  she  was  the  young 
person  of  the  better  class  millionaire's  shop  to  the 
life.  She  came  at  length  to  a  dressing-room,  which 
was  evidently  about  to  be  used  by  somebody  of 
importance.  The  dressing-room  was  large  and  most 
luxuriously  fitted ;  the  contents  of  a  silver-mounted 
dressing-bag  were  scattered  over  the  table  between 
the  big  cheval  glasses ;  on  a  couch  a  ball  dress  had 
been  spread  out.  Jessie  began  to  understand  what 


r6         THE  WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

was  going  on — there  had  been  a  big  dinner  party, 
doubtless  to  be  followed  presently  by  an  equally  big 
reception.  One  of  the  blinds  had  not  been  quite 
drawn,  and  in  the  garden  beyond  she  could  see 
hundreds  of  twinkling  fairy  lamps.  The  adven- 
ture was  beginning  to  appeal  to  her  now ;  she  was 
looking  forward  to  it  with  zeal  and  eagerness. 

"  My  mistress  will  come  to  you  in  a  moment," 
the  maid  said,  in  the  tone  of  one  who  speaks  to  an 
equal.  "  Only  don't  let  her  keep  you  any  longer 
than  you  can  help.  The  sooner  you  are  done, 
the  sooner  I  shall  be  able  to  finish  and  get  out. 
Good  night!  " 

The  maid  flitted  away  without  shutting  the 
door.  Jessie's  spirits  rose  as  she  looked  about  her. 
There  could  be  no  possible  chance  of  personal  danger 
here.  Jessie  would  have  liked  to  have  raised  her 
veil  to  get  a  better  view  of  all- these  lovely  things 
that  would  appeal  to  a  feminine  mind,  but  she 
reflected  that  the  black  veil  had  been  strongly 
insisted  upon. 

A  voice  came  from  somewhere,  a  voice  asking 
somebody  also  in  a  whisper  to  put  the  lights  out. 
This  command  was  repeated  presently  in  a  hurried 
way,  and  Jessie  realized  that  the  voice  was  address- 
ing her.  Without  a  minute's  hesitation  she  crossed 
over  to  the  door  and  flicked  out  the  lights.  Well, 
the  adventure  was  beginning  now  in  real  earnest, 
Jessie  told  herself.  The  voices  whispered  something 
further,  and  then  in  the  corridor  Jessie  saw  some- 
thing that  rooted  her  to  the  spot.  In  perfect  dark- 
ness herself,  she  could  look  boldly  out  into  the  light 
beyond.  She  saw  the  figure  of  a  man  half  led  and 
half  carried  between  two  women — one  of  them  being 
in  evening  dress.  The  man's  face  was  as  white  as 


WITHOUT  A   FRIEND  17 

death.  He  was  either  very  ill  or  very  near  to  death, 
Jessie  could  see ;  his  eyes  were  closed,  and  he  dragged 
his  limbs  after  him  like  one  in  the  last  stage  of 
paralysis.  One  of  the  ladies  in  evening  dress  was 
elderly,  her  hair  quite  gray ;  the  other  was  young 
and  handsome,  with  a  commanding  presence.  On 
her  hair  she  wore  a  tiara  of  diamonds,  only  usually 
affected  by  those  of  royal  blood.  She  looked 
every  inch  a  queen,  Jessie  thought,  as  with  her 
strong  gleaming  arms  she  hurried  the  stricken 
man  along.  And  yet  there  was  a  furtive  air  about 
the  pair  that  Jessie  did  not  understand  at  all. 

The  phantom  passed  away  quietly  as  it  had  come, 
like  a  dream ;  the  trio  vanished,  and  close  by  some- 
body was  closing  a  bedroom  door  gently,  as  if  fear- 
ful of  being  overheard.  Jessie  rubbed  her  eyes  as  if 
to  make  sure  that  the  whole  thing  had  not  been  a 
delusion.  She  was  still  pondering  over  that  strange 
scene  in  a  modern  house,  when  there  came  the  quick 
swish  of  drapery  along  the  corridor,  and  somebody 
flashed  into  the  room  and  closed  and  locked  the  door. 
That  somebody  was  a  woman,  as  the  trail  of  skirts  tes- 
tified, but  Jessie  rose  instantly  to  the  attitude  of  self. 

She  had  not  long  to  wait,  for  suddenly  the  lights 
flashed  up,  and  a  girl  in  simple  evening  dress  stood 
there  looking  at  Jessie.  There  was  a  placid  smile 
on  her  face,  though  her  features  were  very  white 
and  quivering. 

"  How  good  of  you !  "  she  said.  "  God  only 
knows  how  good  of  you.  Will  you  please  take  off 
your  hat,  and  I  will  .  .  .  ?  Thank  you.  Now  stand 
side  by  side  with  me  before  the  glass.  Is  not  that 
strange,  Miss  Harcourt  ?  Do  you  see  the  likeness  ?  " 

Jessie  gasped.  Side  by  side  in  the  glass  she  was 
looking  at  the  very  image  of  herself  ! 

B 


CHAPTER  II 

A  DESPERATE   VENTURE 

"  r"T"^  HE  likeness  is  wonderful,"  Jessie  cried.  "  How 

JL  did  you  find  out  ?  Did  anybody  tell  you  ?  But 
you  have  not  mentioned  your  own  name  yet, 
though  you  know  who  I  am." 

The  other  girl  smiled.  Jessie  liked  the  look 
of  her  face.  It  was  a  little  haughty  like  her  own, 
but  the  smile  was  very  sweet,  the  features  resolute 
and  strong  just  now.  Both  the  girls  seemed  to 
feel  the  strangeness  of  the  situation.  It  was  as  if 
each  was  actually  seeing  herself  for  the  first  time. 
Then  Jessie's  new  friend  began  to  speak. 

"  It  is  like  this,"  she  explained.  "  I  am  Vera 
Galloway,  and  Lady  Merehaven  is  my  aunt.  As 
my  aunt  and  my  uncle,  Lord  Merehaven,  have 
no  children,  they  have  more  or  less  adopted  me.  I 
have  been  very  happy  here  till  quite  lately,  until 
the  danger  came  not  only  to  my  adopted  parents, 
but  to  one  whom  I  love  better  than  all  the  world. 
I  cannot  tell  you  what  it  is  now,  I  have  no  time. 
But  the  danger  to  this  house  and  Charles — I  mean 
my  lover — is  terrible.  Fate  has  made  it  necessary 
that  I  should  be  quite  free  for  the  next  few  hours, 
free  to  escape  the  eyes  of  suspicious  people,  and  yet  at 
the  same  time  it  is  necessary  that  I  should  be  here. 
My  dear  Miss  Harcourt,  you  are  going  to  take  my 
place." 

"  My  dear  Miss  Galloway,  the  thing  is  impossi- 
ble," Jessie  cried.  "  Believe  me,  I  would  help  you 


A   DESPERATE   VENTURE  19 

if  I  could — anything  that  requires  courage  01 
determination.  I  am  so  desperately  placed  that  I 
would  do  anything  for  money.  But  to  take  your 
place " 

"  Why  not  ?  You  are  a  lady,  you  are  accus- 
tomed to  society.  Lord  Merehaven  you  will 
probably  not  see  all  the  evening,  Lady  Merehaven 
is  quite  short-sighted.  And  she  never  expects  me 
to  help  to  entertain  her  guests.  There  will  be  a 
mob  of  people  here  presently,  and  there  is  safety 
in  numbers.  A  little  tact,  a  little  watchful  dis- 
cretion, and  the  thing  is  done." 

Vera  Galloway  spoke  rapidly  and  with  a  passionate 
entreaty  in  her  voice.  Her  beautiful  face  was  very 
earnest.  Jessie  felt  that  she  was  giving  way  already. 

"  I  might  manage  it,"  she  admitted  dubiously. 
"  But  how  did  you  come  to  hear  of  me  ?  " 

"  My  cousin,  Ronald  Hope,  told  me.  Ronald 
knew  your  people  in  the  old  days.  Do  you  recollect 
him  ?  " 

Jessie  blushed  slightly.  She  recollected  Captain 
Hope  perfectly  well.  And  deep  down  in  her  heart 
she  had  a  feeling  that,  if  things  had  turned  out 
differently,  she  and  Ronald  Hope  had  been  a  little 
more  than  mere  acquaintances  by  this  time.  But 
when  the  crash  came,  Jessie  had  put  the  Captain 
resolutely  aside  with  her  other  friends. 

"  Well,  Ronald  told  me,"  Vera  Galloway  went  on. 
"  I  fancy  Ronald  admired  you.  He  often  mentioned 
your  name  to  me,  and  spoke  of  the  strange  likeness 
between  us.  He  would  have  found  you  if  he 
could.  Then  out  of  curiosity  I  asked  a  man  called 
Beryll,  who  is  a  noted  gossip,  what  had  become 
of  Colonel  Hacker  Harcourt's  daughters,  and  he 
said  one  of  them  was  in  a  milliner's  shop  in  Bond 


20          THE   WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

Street,  he  believed  Madame  Malmaison's.  Mind 
you,  I  was  only  mildly  curious  to  see  you.  But 
to-day  the  brooding  trouble  came,  and  I  was  at  my 
wits  ends  for  a  way  out.  Then  the  scheme  suddenly 
came  to  me,  and  I  called  at  Malmaison's  this  morning 
with  a  message  for  a  friend.  You  did  not  see  me, 
but  I  saw  you.  My  mind  was  made  up  at  once, 
hence  my  note  to  you.  .  .  And  now  I  am  sure  that 
you  are  going  to  help  me." 

"  I  am  going  to  help  you  to  do  anything  you 
require,"  Jessie  said,  "  because  I  feel  sure  that  I 
am  on  the  side  of  a  good  cause." 

"  I  swear  it,"  Vera  said  with  a  passionate  empha- 
sis. "  For  the  honour  of  a  noble  house,  for  the  repu- 
tation of  the  man  I  love.  And  you  shall  never 
regret  it,  never.  You  shall  leave  that  hateful  busi- 
ness for  ever.  .  .  But  come  this  way — there  are 
many  things  that  I  have  to  show  you." 

Jessie  followed  obediently  into  the  corridor  a  little 
behind  Vera,  and  in  the  attitude  of  one  who  feels 
and  admits  her  great  social  inferiority.  They  came 
at  length  to  a  large  double  window  opening  on  to  some 
leads,  and  then  descending  by  a  flight  of  steps  to 
the  garden.  The  thing  was  safer  than  at  first  ap- 
peared, for  there  were  roll  shutters  to  the  windows. 

It  was  very  quiet  and  still  in  the  garden,  with  its 
close-shaven  lawns  and  the  clinging  scent  of  the 
roses.  The  silent  parterre  would  be  gay  with  a 
giddy,  chattering  mob  of  Society  people  before  long, 
Vera  hurriedly  explained.  Lady  Merehaven  was 
giving  a  great  reception,  following  a  diplomatic 
dinner  to  the  foreign  Legation  by  Lord  Merehaven. 
Jessie  had  forgotten  for  the  moment  that  Lord 
Merehaven  was  Secretary  for  Foreign  Affairs. 

The  big  windows  at  the  back  of  the  dining-room 


A  DESPERATE   VENTURE  21 

were  open  to  the  garden ;  the  room  was  one  blaze 
of  light,  that  flickered  over  old  silver  and  priceless 
glass  on  banks  of  flowers  and  red  wines  in  Bohemian 
decanters.  A  score  or  more  men  were  there,  all 
of  them  distinguished  with  stars  and  ribbons  and 
collars.  Very  rapidly  Vera  picked  them  out  one 
by  one.  Jessie  felt  just  a  little  bewildered  as  great, 
familiar  names  tripped  off  the  tongue  of  her  com- 
panion. A  strange  position  for  one  who  only  a 
few  hours  before  had  been  a  shop-girl. 

"  We  will  walk  back  through  the  house,"  Vera 
Galloway  said.  "  I  must  show  you  my  aunt.  Some 
of  the  guests  are  beginning  to  arrive,  I  see.  Come 
this  way." 

Already  a  knot  of  well-dressed  women  filled  the 
hall.  Coming  down  the  stairs  was  the  magnificent 
woman  with  the  diamond  tiara,  the  woman  who 
had  helped  along  the  corridor  the  man  with  the 
helpless  limbs.  Jessie  elevated  her  eyebrows  as 
the  great  lady  passed. 

"  The  Queen  of  Asturia,"  Vera  whispered. 
"  You  have  forgotten  to  lower  your  veil.  Yes,  the 
Queen  of  Asturia.  She  has  been  dining  here  alone 
with  my  aunt  in  her  private  room.  You  have  seen 
her  before  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Jessie  replied.  "  It  was  just  now.  Some- 
body whispered  to  me  to  put  out  the  lights.  As  I 

sat  in  the  dark  I  saw but  I  don't  want  to  appear 

inquisitive." 

"  Oh,  I  know.  It  was  I  who  called  to  you  from 
my  bedroom  to  put  the  lights  out.  I  had  no  wish 
for  that  strange  scene  on  the  stairs  to  be ...  you 
understand  ?  " 

"  And  the  sick  man  ?  He  is  one  whose  name  I 
ought  to  know,  perhaps," 


22          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"Well,  yes.  Whisper — come  close,  so  that  no- 
body can  hear.  That  was  the  King  of  Asturia. 
You  think  he  was  ill.  Nothing  of  the  kind.  Mark 
you,  the  Queen  of  Asturia  is  the  best  of  women. 
She  is  good  and  kind — she  is  a  patriot  to  her  finger 
tips.  And  he — the  king — is  one  of  the  greatest 
scoundrels  in  Europe.  In  a  way,  it  is  because  of 
him  that  you  are  here  to-night.  The  whole  dreadful 
complication  is  rooted  in  a  throne.  And  that 
scoundrel  has  brought  it  all  about.  Don't  ask  me 
more,  for  the  secret  is  not  wholly  mine." 

All  this  Vera  Galloway  vouchsafed  in  a  thrilling 
whisper.  Jessie  was  feeling  more  and  more  bewil- 
dered. But  she  was  not  going  back  on  her  promise 
now.  The  strange  scene  she  had  witnessed  in  the 
corridor  came  again  to  her  with  fresh  force  now. 
The  ruler  of  Asturia  might  be  a  scoundrel,  but  he 
certainly  was  a  scoundrel  who  was  sick  unto  death. 

"  We  will  go  back  to  my  room  now,"  Vera  said. 
"First  let  me  dismiss  my  maid,  saying  that  I  have 
decided  not  to  change  my  dress.  Go  up  the  stairs 
as  if  I  had  sent  you  for  something.  You  will  see 
how  necessary  it  is  to  get  my  maid  out  of  the  way.'* 

The  bedroom  door  was  locked  again,  and  Vera 
proceeded  to  strip  off  her  dress,  asking  Jessie  to  do 
the  same.  In  a  little  time  the  girls  were  trans- 
formed. The  matter  of  the  hair  was  a  difficulty, 
but  it  was  accomplished  presently.  A  little  while 
later  and  Jessie  stood  before  the  glass  wondering 
if  some  other  soul  had  taken  possession  of  her  body. 
On  the  other  hand,  Vera  Galloway  was  transformed 
into  a  demure-looking  shop  assistant  waiting  a 
customers'  orders. 

"  I  declare  that  nobody  will  know  the  difference," 
she  said.  "  Unless  you  are  in  a  very  strong  light, 


A   DESPERATE   VENTURE  23 

it  will  be  impossible  to  detect  the  imposture.  You 
will  stay  here  and  play  my  part,  and  I  shall  slip 
away  disguised  in  my  clothes.  Is  that  ten  o'clock 
striking  ?  I  must  fly.  I  have  one  or  two  little 
things  to  get  from  my  bedroom.  Meanwhile,  you 
can  study  those  few  points  for  instruction  that  I 
have  written  on  this  sheet  of  paper.  Study  them 
carefully,  because  one  or  two  of  them  really  are 
of  importance." 

Vera  was  back  again  in  a  moment,  and  ready  to 
depart.  The  drama  was  about  to  begin  in  earnest 
now,  and  Jessie  felt  her  heart  beating  a  little  faster. 
As  the  two  passed  down  the  stairs  together,  they 
could  see  that  the  handsome  suite  of  rooms  on  the 
first  floor  were  rapidly  filling.  One  or  two  guests 
nodded  to  Jessie,  and  she  forced  a  smile  in  reply. 
It  was  confusing  to  be  recognized  like  this  without 
knowing  who  the  other  people  were.  Jessie  began 
to  realize  the  full  magnitude  of  the  task  before  her. 

"  I  am  not  in  the  least  satisfied  with  your  ex- 
planation," she  said,  in  a  very  fair  imitation  of  Vera 
Galloway's  voice.  After  all  there  is  a  great  same- 
ness in  the  society  tones  of  a  woman.  "  I  am 
very  sorry  to  trouble  you  as  the  hour  is  late,  but  I 
must  have  it  back  to-night.  Bannister,  whatever 
time  this  young  person  comes  back,  see  that  she  is 
not  sent  away,  and  ask  her  in  to  the  little  morning 
room.  And  send  for  me." 

The  big  footman  bowed,  and  Vera  Galloway  slipped 
into  the  street.  Not  only  had  she  got  away  safely,  but 
she  had  also  achieved  a  way  for  a  safe  return.  Jessie 
wondered  what  was  the  meaning  of  all  this  secresy 
and  clever  by-play.  Surely  there  must  be  more  than 
one  keen  eye  watching  the  movements  of  Vera 
Galloway.  The  knowledge  thriiled  Jessie,  for  if 


24          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

those  keen  eyes  were  about  they  would  be  turned 
just  as  intently  upon  her.  A  strange  man  came 
up  to  her  and  held  out  his  hand.  He  wanted  to 
know  if  Miss  Galloway  enjoyed  the  Sheringham's 
dance  last  night.  Jessie  shrugged  her  shoulders, 
and  replied  that  the  dance  was  about  as  enjoyable 
as  most  of  that  class  of  thing.  She  was  on  her  guard 
now,  and  resolved  to  be  careful.  One  step  might 
spoil  everything  and  lead  to  an  exposure,  the  conse- 
quences of  which  were  altogether  too  terrible  to 
contemplate. 

The  strange  man  was  followed  by  others;  then  a 
pretty  fair  girl  fluttered  up  to  Jessie  and  kissed  her, 
with  the  whispered  question  as  to  whether  there 
was  going  to  be  any  bridge  or  not.  Would  Vera 
go  and  find  Amy  Macklin  and  Connie,  and  bring 
them  over  to  the  other  side  of  the  room  ?  With  a 
nod  and  a  smile  Jessie  slipped  away,  resolving  that 
she  would  give  the  fair  girl  a  wide  berth  for  the 
remainder  of  the  evening.  In  an  amused  kind  of 
way  she  wondered  what  Amy  and  Connie  were  like. 
It  looked  as  if  the  evening  were  going  to  be  a  long 
series  of  evasions.  There  was  a  flutter  in  the  great 
saloon  presently  as  the  hostess  came  into  the  room, 
presently  followed  by  the  stately  lady  with  the 
diamond  tiara  in  her  hair. 

The  guests  were  bowing  right  and  left.  Presently 
the  Queen  of  Asturia  was  escorted  to  a  seat,  and  the 
little  thrill  of  excitement  passed  off.  Jessie  hoped 
to  find  that  it  would  be  all  right,  but  a  new  terror 
was  added  to  the  situation.  She,  the  shop-girl,  was 
actually  in  the  presence  of  a  real  queen,  perhaps 
the  most  romantic  figure  in  Europe  at  the  present 
moment.  Jessie  recalled  all  the  strange  stories 
had  heard  of  the  ruling  house  of  Asturia,  of  its, 


A   DESPERATE   VENTURE  25 

intrigues  and  fiery  conspiracies.  She  was  thinking 
of  it  still,  despite  the  fact  that  a  great  diva  was  sing- 
ing, and  accompanied  on  the  piano  by  a  pianist 
whose  reputation  was  as  great  as  her  own.  A  slim- 
waisted  attache  crossed  the  room  and  bowed  before 
Jessie,  bringing  his  heels  together  with  a  click  after 
the  most  approved  court  military  fashion. 

"  Pardon  me  the  rudeness,  Mademoiselle  Vera, 
but  her  Highness  would  speak  to  you.  When  you 
meet  the  princess,  the  lady  on  the  left  of  the  queen 
will  vacate  her  chair.  It  is  to  look  as  natural  as 
possible." 

Jessie  expressed  her  delight  at  the  honour.  But 
her  heart  was  beating  more  painfully  just  now  than 
it  had  done  any  time  during  the  evening.  The  thing 
was  so  staggering  and  unexpected.  Was  it  possible 
that  the  queen  knew  of  the  deception,  and  was  party 
to  the  plot  ?  But  that  theory  was  impossible.  A 
royal  guest  could  not  be  privy  to  such  a  trick  upon 
her  hostess. 

With  her  head  in  a  whirl  but  her  senses  quite 
alert,  Jessie  crossed  the  room.  As  she  came  close 
to  the  queen,  a  lady-in-waiting  rose  up  quite  casually 
and  moved  away,  and  Jessie  slipped  into  the  vacant 
seat.  She  could  see  now  how  lined  and  wearisome 
behind  the  smile  was  the  face  of  the  Queen  of  Asturia. 
And  yet  it  was  one  of  the  most  beautiful  faces  in 
the  world. 

"  You  are  not  surprised  that  I  have  sent  for  you, 
cherie  ?  "  the  queen  asked. 

"  No,  Madame,"  Jessie  replied.  She  hoped  that 
the  epithet  was  correct.  "  If  there  is  anything  that 
I  can  do " 

"  Dear  child,  there  is  something  you  can  do  pre- 
gently,"  the  queen  went  on,  "  We  have  managed 


26          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

to  save  him  to-night.  You  know  who  I  mean. 
But  the  danger  is  just  as  terribly  imminent  as  it  was 
last  night.  Of  course,  you  know  that  General 
Maxgregor  is  coming  here  presently  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  so,"  Jessie  murmured.  "  At  least, 
it  would  not  surprise  me.  You  see,  Madame — 

"  Of  course  it  would  not  surprise  you.  How 
strangely  you  speak  to-night.  Those  who  are 
watching  us  cannot  possibly  deduct  anything  from 
the  presence  of  General  Maxgregor  at  your  aunt's 
reception.  When  he  comes  you  are  to  attach  your- 
self to  him.  Take  him  into  the  garden.  Then 
go  up  those  steps  leading  to  the  corridor  and  shut 
the  General  in  the  sitting-room  next  to  your  dressing- 
room — the  next  room  to  where  he  is,  in  fact.  And 
when  that  is  done  come  to  me,  and  in  a  loud  voice 
ask  me  to  come  and  see  the  pictures  that  you  spoke 
of.  Then  I  shall  be  able  to  see  the  General  in  pri- 
vate. Then  you  can  wait  in  the  garden  by  the 
fountain  till  one  or  both  of  us  come  down  again. 
I  want  you  to  understand  this  quite  clearly,  for 
heaven  only  knows  how  carefully  I  am  watched. 

Jessie  murmured  respectfully  that  she  knew 
everything.  All  the  same,  she  was  quite  at  a  loss 
to  know  how  she  was  to  identify  the  General  Max- 
gregor when  he  did  come.  The  mystery  of  the 
whole  thing  was  becoming  more  and  more  bewilder- 
ing. Clearly  Vera  Galloway  was  deep  in  the  con- 
fidence of  the  queen,  and  yet  at  the  same  time  she 
had  carefully  concealed  from  her  majesty  the  fact 
that  she  had  substituted  a  perfect  stranger  for  her- 
self. It  was  a  daring  trick  to  play  upon  so  exalted 
a  personage,  but  Vera  had  not  hesitated  to  do  it. 
And  Jessie  felt  that  Vera  Galloway  was  all  for  the 
cause  of  the  queen. 


A   DESPERATE   VENTURE  27 

"  I  will  lie  in  wait  for  the  General,"  she  said. 
"  There  is  no  time  to  be  lost — I  had  better  go  now." 

Jessie  rose  and  bowed  and  went  her  way.  So 
far  everything  had  gone  quite  smoothly.  But  it 
was  a  painful  shock  on  reaching  the  hall  to  see 
Prince  Boris  Mazaroff  bending  over  a  very  pretty 
girl  who  was  daintily  eating  an  ice  there.  Just  for 
a  moment  it  seemed  to  Jessie  that  she  must  be  dis- 
covered. Then  she  reflected  that  in  her  party  dress 
and  with  her  hair  so  elaborately  arranged,  she  would 
present  to  the  eyes  of  the  Russian  nothing  more 
than  a  strange  likeness  to  the  Bond  Street  shop- 
girl. At  any  rate,  it  would  be  necessary  to  take  the 
risk.  The  prince  was  too  deep  in  his  flirtation  to 
see  anybody  at  present. 

Once  more  Jessie  breathed  freely.  She  would 
linger  here  in  the  hall  until  General  Maxgregor  came. 
He  would  be  announced  on  his  entrance,  so  that 
Jessie  would  have  to  ask  no  questions.  Some  little 
time  elapsed  before  a  big  man  with  a  fine,  resolute 
face  came  into  the  hall. 

Somebody  whispered  the  name  of  Maxgregor,  and 
Jessie  looked  up  eagerly.  The  man's  name  had  a 
foreign  flavour — his  uniform  undoubtedly  was ;  and 
yet  Jessie  felt  quite  sure  that  she  was  looking  at  the 
face  of  an  Englishman.  She  had  almost  forgotten 
her  part  for  the  moment,  when  the  General  turned 
eagerly  to  her. 

"  I'll  go  upstairs  presently,"  he  murmured.  "  You 
understand  how  imperative  it  is  that  I  should 
see  the  queen  without  delay.  It  is  all  arranged, 
of  course.  Does  the  queen  know  ?  " 

"  The  queen  knows  everything,  General,"  Jessie 
said.  She  felt  on  quite  firm  ground  now.  "  Let 
us  stroll  into  the  garden  as  if  we  were  looking  for 


28          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

romebody.  Then  I  will  admit  you  to  the  roc>m 
where  the  queen  will  meet  you  presently.  Yes, 
that  is  a  very  fine  specimen  of  a  Romney." 

The  last  words  were  uttered  aloud.  Once  in  the 
garden  the  two  hurried  on  up  the  steps  of  the  corri- 
dor. From  a  distance  came  the  divine  notes  of  the 
diva  uplifted  in  some  passionate  love  song.  At 
another  time  Jessie  would  have  found  the  music 
enchanting.  As  it  was,  she  hurried  back  to  the 
salon  and  made  her  way  to  the  queen's  side.  One 
glance  and  a  word  were  sufficient. 

The  song  died  away  in  a  hurricane  of  applause. 
The  queen  rose  and  laid  her  hand  on  Jessie's  arm. 
She  was  going  to  have  a  look  at  the  pictures,  she 
said.  In  a  languid  way,  and  as  if  life  was  altogether 
too  fatiguing,  she  walked  down  the  stairs.  But 
once  in  the  garden  her  manner  altogether  changed. 

"  You  managed  it  ?  "  she  demanded.  "  You 
succeeded  ?  Is  the  General  in  the  room  next  to 
your  sitting-room  ?  How  wonderfully  quick  and 
clever  you  are !  Would  that  I  had  a  few  more 
like  you  near  me !  Throw  that  black  cloak  on  the 
deck  chair  yonder  over  my  head  and  shoulders. 
Now  show  me  the  way  yourself.  And  when  you 
have  done,  go  and  stand  by  the  fountain  yonder, 
so  as  to  keep  the  coast  clear.  When  you  see  two 
quick  flashes  of  light  in  the  window  you  will  know 
that  I  am  coming  down  again." 

Very  quietly  the  flight  of  steps  was  mounted  and 
the  corridor  entered.  With  a  sign  Jessie  indicated 
the  room  where  General  Maxgregor  was  waiting  for 
the  queen ;  the  door  opened,  there  was  a  stifled, 
strangled  cry,  and  the  door  was  closed  as  softly 
su>  it  had  opened.  With  a  heart  beating  unspeakably 
fast,  Jessie  made  her  way  into  the  garden  again  ancl 


A   DESPERATE   VENTURE  29 

stood  by  the  side  of  the  ornamental  fountain  as 
if  she  were  enjoying  the  cooling  breezes  of  the  night. 

On  the  whole,  she  was  enjoying  the  adventure. 
But  she  wanted  to  think.  Everybody  was  still 
in  the  house  listening  to  the  divine  notes  of  the 
great  singer,  so  that  it  was  possible  to  snatch  a  half 
breathing  space.  And  Jessie  felt  that  she  wanted  it. 
She  tried  to  see  her  way  through ;  she  was  thinking 
it  out  when  the  sound  of  a  footstep  behind  caused 
her  to  look  round.  She  gave  a  sudden  gasp,  and 
then  she  appeared  to  be  deeply  interested  in  the 
gold  fish  in  the  fountain. 

"  I  hope  he  won't  address  me.  I  hope  he  will  pass 
without  recognition,"  was  Jessie's  prayer. 

For  the  man  strolling  directly  towards  the  fountain 
was  Prince  Boris  Mazaroff ! 


CHAPTER   III 

ON  GUARD 

HERE  was  a  danger  that  Jessie  had  not  ex- 
pected. She  was  not  surprised  to  see  Prince 
Boris  Mazaroff  there;  indeed,  she  would  not  have 
been  surprised  at  anything  after  the  events  of  the 
last  few  hours.  There  was  no  startling  coincidence 
in  the  presence  of  the  Russian  here,  seeing  that  he 
knew  everybody  worth  knowing  in  London,  and  all 
society  would  be  here  presently. 

Would  he  come  forward  and  speak  ?  Jessie  won- 
dered. She  would  have  avoided  the  man,  but  then 
it  seemed  to  be  quite  understood  that  she  must 
stay  by  the  fountain  till  the  signal  was  given.  All 
this  had  been  evidently  carefully  thought  out 
before  Vera  Galloway  found  it  an  imperative  neces- 
sity to  be  elsewhere  on  this  fateful  night. 

Would  Mazaroff  penetrate  her  disguise  ?  was  the 
most  fateful  question  that  Jessie  asked  herself. 
Of  course  he  would  see  the  strong  likeness  between 
the  sham  Vera  and  the  milliner  in  the  Bond  Street 
shop ;  but  as  he  appeared  to  be  au  fait  of  Lord  Mere- 
haven's  house,  and  presumedly  knew  Vera,  he  had 
doubtless  noticed  the  likeness  before.  Jessie  recol- 
lected the  girls  who  had  greeted  her  so  smilingly 
in  the  hall,  and  reflected  that  they  must  have  known 
Vera  far  better  than  this  rascally  Russian  could 
have  done,  and  they  had  been  utterly  deceived. 

Mazaroff  lounged  up  to  the  fountain  and  mur- 
mured something  polite.  His  manner  was  easy 

30 


ON   GUARD  31 

and  polished  and  courteous  now,  but  that  it  could 
be  very  different  Jessie  knew  to  her  cost.  She 
raised  her  eyes  and  looked  the  man  coldly  in  the 
face.  She  determined  to  know  once  for  all  whether 
he  guessed  anything  or  not.  But  the  expression  of 
his  face  expressed  nothing  but  a  sense  of  disap- 
pointment. 

"  Why  do  you  frown  at  me  like  that,  Miss  Vera?  " 
he  asked.  "  What  have  I  done  ?  " 

Jessie  forced  a  smile  to  her  lips.  She  could  not 
quite  forget  her  own  ego,  and  she  knew  this  man  to 
be  a  scoundrel  and  a  coward.  Through  his  fault 
she  had  come  very  close  to  starvation.  But,  she 
reflected,  certainly  Vera  could  know  nothing  of 
this,  and  she  must  act  exactly  as  Vera  would  have 
done.  Jessie  wanted  all  her  wits  for  the  coming 
struggle. 

"  Did  I  frown  ?  "  she  laughed.  "  If  I  did,  it  was 
certainly  not  at  you.  My  thoughts " 

"  Let  me  guess  your  thoughts,"  Mazaroff  said 
in  a  low  tone  of  voice.  He  reclined  his  elbows 
on  the  lip  of  the  fountain  so  that  his  face  was  close 
to  Jessie's.  "  I  am  rather  good  at  that  kind  of  thing. 
You  are  thinking  that  the  queen  did  not  care  much 
for  the  pictures." 

Jessie  repressed  a  start.  There  was  a  distinct 
menace  in  the  speaker's  words.  If  they  meant 
anything  they  meant  danger,  and  that  to  the  people 
whose  interests  it  was  Jessie's  to  guard.  And 
she  knew  one  thing  that  Vera  Galloway  could  not 
possibly  know — this  man  was  a  scoundrel. 

"  You  are  too  subtle  for  me,"  she  said.  "  What 
queen  do  you  allude  to  ?  " 

"  There  was  only  one  queen  in  this  conversation. 
I  mean  the  Queen  of  Asturia.  She  left  the  salon 


32         THE  WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

with  you  to  look  at  certain  pictures,  and  she  was 
disappointed.     Where  is  she  ?  " 

"  Back  again  in  the  salon  by  this  time,  doubt- 
less," Jessie  laughed.  "  I  am  not  quite  at  home  in  the 
presence  of  royalty." 

The  brows  of  Mazaroff  knitted  into  a  frown. 
Evidently  Jessie  had  accidentally  said  something 
that  checkmated  him  for  the  moment. 

"  And  the  king  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Do  you  know 
anything  about  him  ?  Where  is  he,  for  example  ?  " 

Jessie  shook  her  head.  She  was  treading  on 
dangerous  ground  now,  and  it  behoved  her  to  be 
careful.  The  smallest  possible  word  might  lead  to 
mischief. 

*'  The  queen  is  a  great  friend  of  mine,"  Mazaroff 
went  on,  and  Jessie  knew  instantly  that  he  was  lying. 
"  She  is  in  danger,  as  you  may  possibly  know.  You 
shake  your  head,  but  you  could  tell  a  great  deal 
if  you  choose.  But  then  the  niece  of  a  diplomatist 
knows  the  value  of  silence." 

"  The  niece  of  a  diplomatist  learns  a  great  deal," 
Jessie  said  coldly. 

"  Exactly.  I  hope  that  I  have  not  offended  you. 
But  certain  things  are  public  property.  It  is  im- 
possible for  a  crowned  head  to  disguise  his  vices. 
That  the  King  of  Asturia  is  a  hopeless  drunkard  and 
a  gambler  is  known  to  everyone.  He  has  ex- 
hausted his  private  credit,  and  his  sullen  subjects 
will  not  help  him  any  more  from  the  public  funds. 
1 1  is  four  years  since  the  man  came  to  the  throne,  and 
he  has  not  been  crowned  yet.  His  weakness  and 
rascalities  are  Russia's  opportunity." 

"As  a  good  and  patriotic  Russian  you  should 
be  glad  of  that,"  Jessie  said. 

"  You  are  a  very  clever  young  lady,"  Mazaroff 


ON   GUARD  33 

smiled.  "As  a  Russian,  my  country  naturally 
comes  first.  But  then  I  am  exceedingly  liberal  in 
my  political  views,  and  that  is  why  the  Czar  prefers 
that  I  should  more  or  less  live  in  Western  Europe. 
In  regard  to  the  Asturian  policy,  I  do  not  hold  with 
the  views  of  my  imperial  master  at  all.  At  the 
risk  of  being  called  a  traitor  I  am  going  to  help 
the  queen.  She  is  a  great  friend  of  yours  also  ?  " 

"  I  would  do  anything  in  my  power  to  help  her," 
Jessie  said  guardedly. 

The  Russian's  eyes  gleamed.  In  a  moment  of 
excitement  he  laid  his  hand  on  Jessie's  arm.  The 
touch  filled  her  with  disgust,  but  she  endured  it. 

"  Then  you  never  had  a  better  opportunity  than 
you  have  at  the  present  moment,"  Mazaroff  whis- 
pered. "  I  have  private  information  which  the 
queen  must  know  at  once.  Believe  me,  I  am  actu- 
ated only  by  the  purest  of  motives.  The  fact  that  I 
am  practically  an  exile  from  my  native  land  shows 
where  my  sympathies  lie.  I  am  sick  to  death  of 
this  Russian  earth  hunger.  I  know  that  in  the  end  it 
will  spell  ruin  and  revolution  and  the  breaking  up 
of  the  State.  I  can  save  Asturia,  too." 

"  Do  I  understand  that  you  want  to  see  the 
queen  ?  "  Jessie  asked. 

"  That  is  it,"  was  the  eager  response.  "  The 
queen  and  the  king.  I  expected  to  find  him  else- 
where. I  have  been  looking  for  him  in  one  of  the 
haunts  he  frequents.  I  know  that  Charles  Maxwell 
was  with  him  this  morning.  Did  he  give  you  any 
hint  as  to  the  true  state  of  affairs  ?  " 

"  I  don't  know  who  you  mean  ?  "  Jessie  said 
unguardedly.  "  The  name  is  not  familiar  to  me." 

"  Oh,  this  is  absurd !  "  Mazaroff  said  with  some 
show  of  anger  in  his  voice.  "  Caution  is  one  thing, 

c 


34          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

but  to  deny  knowledge  of  Lord  Merehaven's  private 
and  confidential  secretary  is  another  matter.  Come, 
this  is  pique — a  mere  lovers'  quarrel,  or  something 
of  that  kind." 

Jessie  recovered  herself  at  once.  If  Mazaroff 
had  not  been  so  angry  he  could  not  have  possibly 
overlooked  so  serious  a  slip  on  the  part  of  his  com- 
panion. 

"  It  is  very  good  of  you  to  couple  our  names 
together  like  this,"  Jessie  said  coldly. 

"  But,  my  dear  young  lady,  it  is  not  I  who  do 
it,"  Mazaroff  protested.  "  Everybody  says  so. 
You  said  nothing  when  Miss  Maitland  taxed  you 
with  it  at  the  duke's  on  Friday  night.  Lady 
Merehaven  shrugs  her  shoulders,  and  says  that  worse 
things  might  happen.  If  Maxwell  were  to  come  up 
at  this  moment " 

Jessie  waived  the  suggestion  aside  haughtily. 
This  information  was  exceedingly  valuable,  but  at 
the  same  time  it  involved  a  possible  new  danger. 
If  this  Charles  Maxwell  did  come  up — but  Jessie 
did  not  care  to  think  of  that.  She  half  turned  so 
that  Mazaroff  could  not  see  the  expression  of  her 
face ;  she  wanted  time  to  regain  control  over  her 
features.  As  she  looked  towards  the  house  she  saw 
twice  the  quick  flash  of  light  in  one  of  the  bedroom 
windows. 

It  was  the  signal  that  the  queen  was  ready  to 
return  to  the  salon  again.  Jessie's  duty  was  plain. 
It  was  to  hurry  back  to  the  bedroom  and  attend  to 
the  good  pleasure  of  the  queen.  And  yet  she  could 
not  do  it  with  the  man  by  her  side ;  she  could  think 
of  no  pretext  to  get  rid  of  him.  It  was  not  as  if  he 
had  been  a  friend.  Mazaroff  was  an  enemy  of  the 
heads  of  Asturia.  Possibly  he  knew  a  great  deal 


ON   GUARD  35 

more  than  he  cared  to  say.  There  had  been  a  dis- 
tinct menace  in  his  tone  when  he  asked  how  the 
queen  had  enjoyed  the  pictures.  As  Jessie's 
brain  flashed  rapidly  over  the  events  of  the  evening, 
she  recalled  to  mind  the  spectacle  of  the  queen  and 
the  strange  lady  who  dragged  the  body  of  the  help- 
less man  between  them.  What  if  that  man  were  the 
King  of  Asturia  !  Why,  Vera  Galloway  had  said  so ! 

Jessie  felt  certain  of  it — certain  that  for  some 
reasons  certain  people  were  not  to  know  that  the 
King  of  Asturia  was  under  Lord  Merehaven's 
roof,  and  this  fellow  was  trying  to  extract  valuable 
information  from  her.  As  she  glanced  round  once 
more  the  signal  flashed  out  again.  For  all  Jessie 
knew  to  the  contrary,  time  might  be  as  valuable 
as  a  crown  of  diamonds.  But  it  was  quite  im- 
possible to  move  so  long  as  Mazaroff  was  there. 

She  looked  round  for  some  avenue  of  escape. 
The  garden  was  deserted  still,  for  the  concert  in 
the  salon  was  not  yet  quite  over.  Even  here  the 
glorious  voice  of  the  prima  donna  floated  clear  as 
a  silver  bell.  The  singer  was  flinging  aloft  the 
stirring  refrain  of  some  patriotic  melody. 

"  The  Asturian  national  anthem,"  Mazaroff  said 
softly.  "  Inspiring,  isn't  it  ?  " 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  WARNING   LIGHT 

T  ESSIE  could  feel  rather  than  see  that  the  signal 
Jf  was  flashing  out  again.  She  looked  about  her  for 
some  assistance.  In  the  distance  a  man  came  from 
the  direction  of  the  house.  In  the  semi-darkness  he 
paused  to  light  a  cigarette,  and  the  reflection  of  the 
match  shone  on  his  face.  Jessie  started,  and  her 
face  flushed.  It  seemed  as  if  the  stars  were 
fighting  for  her  to-night.  She  recognized  the  dark, 
irregular  features  behind  the  glow  of  the  match. 
She  had  made  up  her  mind  what  to  do.  Surely  the 
queen  would  understand  that  there  was  cause  for 
delay,  that  some  unforeseen  danger  threatened. 

The  man  with  the  cigarette  strolled  close  by  the 
fountain.  He  had  his  hands  behind  him,  and  ap- 
peared to  be  plunged  in  thought.  He  would  have 
passed  the  fountain  altogether  without  seeing  the 
two  standing  there,  only  Jessie  called  to  him  to 
stop  in  a  clear  gay  voice. 

**  Have  you  lost  anything,  Captain  Hope  ?  " 
she  asked.  "  Won't  you  come  and  tell  us  what  it 
is?" 

Jessie's  voice  was  perfectly  steady,  but  her  heart 
was  beating  to  suffocation  now.  ForVera's  cousin, 
Captain  Ronald  Hope,  was  perfectly  well  known  to 
her  in  her  own  private  capacity  as  Jessie  Harcourt. 
Hope  had  been  a  frequent  visitor  kt  her  father's 
house  in  the  old  days,  and  Jessie  had  had  her  dreams. 


THE   WARNING   LIGHT  37 

Had  he  not  inspired  Vera's  daring  scheme !  Hope 
had  not  forgotten  her,  though  she  had  elected  to 
disappear  and  leave  no  sign,  the  girl  knew  full  well ; 
for  had  not  Hope  told  Vera  Galloway  of  the  mar- 
vellous likeness  between  herself  and  Jessie  Harcourt  ? 

It  was  a  critical  moment.  That  Hope  had 
cared  for  her  Jessie  well  knew,  though  she  sternly 
told  her  heart  that  it  was  not  to  be.  Would  he 
recognize  her  and  penetrate  her  disguise  ?  If  the 
eyes  of  love  are  blind  in  some  ways  they  make  up 
for  it  in  others.  Jessie's  heart  seemed  to  standstill 
as  Hope  raised  his  crushed  hat  and  came  leisurely 
up  the  steps  of  the  fountain. 

"  I  was  looking  for  my  lost  and  wasted  youth, 
Miss  Galloway,"  he  said.  "  How  are  you,  Prince  ? 
What  a  night !  " 

"  A  night  for  lovers,"  Mazaroff  said,  though 
Jessie  could  see  that  he  was  terribly  annoyed  at 
the  interruption  of  their  conversation.  "  Reminds 
one  of  birds  and  nightingales  and  rose  bowers. 
Positively,  I  think  of  the  days  when  I  used  to  send 
valentines  and  love  tokens  to  my  many  sweet- 
hearts." 

"  And  what  does  it  remind  you  of,  Captain  Hope  ?" 
Jessie  asked. 

'  You  always  remind  me  of  my  friend  Jessie 
Harcourt,"  Hope  said.  "  The  more  I  see  of  you, 
the  more  I  see  the  likeness." 

;'  The  little  shop-girl  in  Bond  Street,"  Mazaroff 
burst  out.  "  I  have  met  her.  Ah,  yes." 

"  We  are  waiting  for  Captain  Hope  to  tell  us  what 
the  evening  reminds  him  of,"  Jessie  said  hurriedly. 

"  Certainly,"  Captain  Hope  said.  "  Afterwards 
I  may  want  to  ask  Prince  Mazaroff  a  question.  This 
reminds  me  of  a  night  three  years  ago — a  night  in 


38          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

a  lovely  lane,  with  the  moon  rising  at  the  end  of  it. 
Of  course,  there  was  a  man  and  a  woman  in  the  lane, 
and  they  talked  of  the  future.  They  picked  some 
flowers,  so  as  to  be  in  tune  with  the  picture.  They 
picked  dog  roses " 

"  '  Your  heart  and  mine '  played  out  with  the 
petals,"  Jessie  laughed.  "  Do  you  know  the  other 
form  of  blowing  the  seed  from  a  dandelion,  only  you 
use  rose  petals  instead  ?  " 

There  was  a  swift  change  on  the  face  of  Captain 
Hope.  His  face  paled  under  the  healthy  tan  as  he 
looked  quickly  at  Jessie.  Their  eyes  met  just  for  a 
moment — there  was  a  flash  of  understanding  between 
them.  Mazaroff  saw  nothing,  for  he  was  lighting  a 
cigar  by  the  lip  of  the  fountain.  Jessie  broke  into 
some  nonsense,  only  it  was  quite  uncertain  if  she 
knew  what  she  was  saying.  She  appealed  to  Maza- 
roff, and  as  she  did  so  she  knocked  the  cigar  that 
he  had  laid  on  the  edge  of  the  fountain  so  that 
it  rolled  down  the  steps  on  to  the  grass. 

"  How  excessively  clumsy  of  me  !  "  Jessie  cried. 
"  Let  me  get  it  back  for  you,  Prince  Boris." 

With  a  smile  Prince  Mazaroff  proceeded  to  regain 
his  cigar.  Quick  as  a  flash  Ronald  Hope  turned  to 
Jessie. 

"  What  is  it  you  want  ?  "  he  asked.  "  What  am  I 
to  do  to  help  you  ?  Only  say  the  word." 

"  Get  rid  of  that  man,"  Jessie  panted.  "  I  can't 
explain  now.  Only  get  rid  of  that  man  and  see 
that  he  is  kept  out  of  the  way  for  at  least  ten 
minutes.  Then  you  can  return  to  me  if  you  like." 

Hope  nodded.  He  appeared  to  have  grasped  the 
situation.  With  some  commonplace  on  his  lips 
he  passed  leisurely  towards  the  house.  Before 
Mazaroff  could  take  up  the  broken  threads  of  the 


THE   WARNING   LIGHT  39 

subject  a  young  man,  who  might  have  been  in  the 
diplomatic  service,  came  hurrying  to  the  spot. 

"  I  have  been  looking  everywhere  for  you,  Prince 
Boris,"  he  said.  "  Lord  Merehaven  would  like  to 
say  a  few  words  to  you.  I  am  very  sorry  to  detain 
you,  but  this  is  a  matter  of  importance." 

MazarofFs  teeth  flashed  in  a  grin  which  was  not  a 
grin  of  pleasure.  He  had  no  suspicion  that  this 
had  been  all  arranged  in  the  brief  moment  that  he 
was  looking  for  his  cigar,  the  thing  seemed  genuine 
and  spontaneous.  With  one  word  to  the  effect 
that  he  would  be  back  again  in  a  moment,  he  followed 
the  secretary. 

Jessie  had  a  little  time  to  breathe  at  last.  She 
looked  round  her  eagerly,  but  the  signal  was  not 
given  again.  Ought  she  not  to  fly  up  the  steps  of 
the  corridor?  the  girl  asked  herself.  As  she  looked 
up  again  at  the  now  darkened  window  the  light 
came  up  for  a  moment,  and  the  figure  of  a  man, 
recognizable  as  that  of  General  Maxgregor,  stood 
out  in  high  relief.  The  head  of  the  figure  was 
shaken  twice,  and  the  light  vanished  again.  Jessie 
could  make  nothing  of  it  except  that  she  was  not  to 
hurry.  Whilst  she  was  still  waiting  and  wondering 
what  to  do,  Captain  Ronald  Hope  returned.  His 
face  was  stern,  but  at  the  same  time  there  was 
a  tender  light  in  his  eyes  that  told  Jessie  not  to 
fear. 

"  What  is  the  meaning  of  it  all  ?  "  he  asked. 
"  I  never  had  such  a  surprise  in  my  life.  When 
you  spoke  about  our  old  sweetheart  pastime  of 
your  heart  and  mine  played  with  the  petals  of  the 
wild  rose,  I  recognized  you  for  Jessie  Harcourt  at 
once,  because  we  invented  that  game,  and  the  under- 
standing was  that  we  were  never  to  tell  anybody 


40          THE   WEIGHT   OF  THE   CROWN 

else.  Oh,  yes,  I  see  that  you  are  my  dear  little 
Jessie  now." 

The  tender  words  thrilled  Jessie.  She  spoke 
with  an  unsteady  smile  on  her  lips. 

"  But  you  did  not  recognize  me  till  I  gave  you  a 
clue,"  she  said.  "  Are  you  very  angry  with  me, 
Ronald  ?  " 

"  I  meant  to  be  if  ever  I  found  you,"  Hope  said. 
"  I  am  going  to  be  stern.  I  was  going  to  ask  you 
why  you  had " 

"  Dear  Ronald,  you  had  no  right  to  speak  like  that. 
Great  friends  as  we  used  to  be — 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  know  what  you  are  going  to  say. 
Great  friends  as  we  were,  I  had  never  told  you  that  I 
loved  you.  But  you  knew  it  perfectly  well,  with- 
out any  mere  words  of  mine ;  your  heart  told  you  so. 
Though  I  have  never  kissed  you — never  so  much  as 
had  my  arm  about  your  waist — we  knew  all  the 
time.  And  I  meant  to  wait  till  after  my  long 
stay  in  Ireland.  Then  your  father  died,  and  you 
were  penniless,  and  you  disappeared.  My  dear- 
est girl,  why  did  you  not  tell  me  ?  " 

"  Because  you  were  poor,  Ronald.  Because  I 
did  not  want  to  stand  between  you  and  your  career. 
Ada  and  myself  were  as  proud  as  we  were  penniless. 
And  I  thought  that  you  would  soon  forget." 

"  Forget !  Impossible  to  forget  you,  Jessie.  I 
am  not  that  kind  of  man.  I  came  here  frequently 
because  I  was  trying  to  get  a  diplomatic  appoint- 
ment, through  my  friend  General  Maxgregor,  in  the 
Asturian  service,  where  there  is  both  trouble  and 
danger  and  the  chance  of  a  future.  And  every 
time  that  I  saw  Vera  Galloway  my  heart  seemed 
to  ache  for  the  sight  of  you.  I  told  her  about  you 
often.  Now  tell  me,  why  did  your  pride  break  down 


'A  stifled  cry  came  from  Jessie's  lips." 


The  Weight  of  rhe  Crown.— Page  41 


THE   WARNING   LIGHT  41 

so  suddenly  to-night  ?  You  might  have  passed  for 
Vera  had  you  not  spoken  about  the  roses." 

"  I  had  the  most  pressing  need  of  your  assistance," 
Jessie  said  hoarsely.  "  I  did  not  want  to  disclose 
myself,  but  conscience  called  me  imperatively.  I 
dare  say  you  are  wondering  why  I  am  masquerad- 
ing here  as  Miss  Galloway,  and  where  she  is  gone.  I 
cannot  tell  you.  She  only  found  me  out  to-day, 
and  implored  me  to  come  to  her  and  take  her  place. 
My  decision  to  do  so  was  not  free  from  sordid  con- 
sideration. I  have  played  my  part  with  success  till 
that  scoundrel  Mazaroff  came  along.  At  present 
I  am  in  attendance  on  the  Queen  of  Asturia,  who  is 
in  one  of  the  rooms  overhead  with  General  Maxgregor 
and  a  helpless  paralytic  creature  who  is  no  less  than 
the  King  of  Asturia.  If  you  ask  me  about  this  mystery 
I  cannot  tell  you.  The  whole  thing  was  fixed  up  in 
a  desperate  hurry,  and  here  I  am.  It  was  necessary 
to  get  Prince  Mazaroff  out  of  the  way  so  that  the 
queen  could  return  without  being  seen.  I  should 
not  be  surprised  to  find  that  Mazaroff  was  no  more 
than  a  vulgar  Russian  spy  after  all." 

"  I  feel  pretty  well  convinced  of  it,"  Hope  said. 
"  But  how  long  is  this  to  go  on,  Jessie  ?  " 

"  Till  Miss  Galloway  comes  back  dressed  in  the 
fashion  of  the  Bond  Street  shop-girl.  Then  we 
shall  change  dresses,  and  I  shall  be  free  to  depart." 

Hope  whispered  something  sweet,  and  the  colour 
came  to  Jessie's  cheeks.  She  was  feeling  resolute 
and  brave  enough  now.  As  she  turned  and  glanced 
at  the  upstairs  window  she  saw  the  light  spring  up  and 
the  blind  pulled  aside.  Then  a  man,  stripped  to  his 
shirt  and  trousers,  threw  up  the  window  and  stood 
upon  the  parapet  waving  his  arms  wildly  and  ges- 
ticulating the  while.  A  stifled  cry  came  from 


42          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

Jessie's  lips.  If  the  man  fell  to  the  ground  he 
would  fall  on  the  stone  terrace  and  be  killed  on  the 
spot. 

But  he  did  not  fall ;  somebody  gripped  him  from 
behind,  the  window  was  shut,  and  the  blind  fell. 
There  was  darkness  for  a  few  seconds,  and  then  the 
two  flashes  of  the  signal  came  once  more,  sharp 
and  imperative. 


CHAPTER   V 

DEEPER   STILL 

PUZZLED,  vaguely  alarmed,  and  nervous  as 
she  was,  Jessie  had  been  still  more  deeply 
thrilled  could  she  have  seen  into  the  room  from 
whence  the  signal  came.  She  had  escorted  the  Queen 
of  Asturia  there,  and  subsequently  the  man  known 
as  General  Maxgregor,  but  why  they  came  and  why 
that  secret  meeting  Jessie  did  not  know. 

In  some  vague  way  Jessie  connected  the  mystery 
with  the  hapless  creature  whom  she  knew  now  to  be 
the  King  of  Asturia.  Nor  was  she  far  wrong.  In  the 
dressing-room  beyond  the  larger  room  where  that 
strange  interview  was  to  take  place,  the  hapless  man 
lay  on  a  bed.  He  might  have  been  dead,  so  silent 
was  he  and  so  still  his  breathing.  He  lay  there  in 
his  evening  dress,  but  there  was  nothing  about  him 
to  speak  of  his  exalted  rank.  He  wore  no  collar 
or  star  or  any  decoration ;  he  might  have  been  no 
more  than  a  drunken  waiter  tossed  contemptuously 
out  of  the  way  to  lie  in  a  sodden  sleep  till  the  effects 
of  his  potations  passed. 

The  sleeper  was  small  of  size  and  mean  of  face, 
the  weak  lips  hidden  with  a  ragged  red  moustache; 
a  thin  crop  of  the  same  flame-coloured  hair  was  on 
his  head.  In  fine  contrast  stood  the  Queen  of 
Asturia,  regally  beautiful,  perfectly  dressed  and 
flashing  with  diamonds.  There  was  every  inch  of 
a  queen.  But  her  face  was  bitter  and  hard,  her 
dark  eyes  flashed. 


44         THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  And  to  think  that  I  am  passing  my  life  in  peril, 
ruining  my  health  and  shattering  my  nerves  for  a 
creature  like  hat  \ "  she  whispered  vehemently. 
"  A  cowardly,  dishonest,  drunken  hog — a  man  who 
is  prepared  to  sacrifice  his  crown  for  money  to  spend 
on  wine  and  cards.  Nay,  the  crown  may  be  sold 
by  this  time  for  all  I  know." 

The  figure  on  the  bed  stirred  just  a  little.  With  a 
look  of  intense  loathing  the  queen  bent  down  and 
laid  her  head  on  the  sleeper's  breast.  It  seemed 
to  her  that  the  heart  was  not  moving. 

"  He  must  not  die,"  she  said  passionately.  "  He 
must  not  die — yet.  And  yet,  God  help  me,  I  should 
be  the  happier  for  his  release.  The  weary  struggle 
would  be  over,  and  I  could  sleep  without  the  fear 
of  his  being  murdered  before  my  eyes.  Oh,  why 
does  not  Paul  come  !  " 

The  words  came  as  if  in  protest  against  the  speaker's 
helplessness.  Almost  immediately  there  came  a 
gentle  tap  at  the  door,  and  General  Maxgregor 
entered.  A  low,  fierce  cry  of  delight  came  from  the 
queen ;  she  held  out  a  pair  of  hands  that  trembled 
to  the  newcomer.  There  was  a  flush  on  her  beauti- 
ful face  now,  a  look  of  pleasure  in  the  splendid  eyes. 
She  was  more  like  a  girl  welcoming  her  lover  than 
a  queen  awaiting  the  arrival  of  a  servant. 

"  I  began  to  be  afraid,  Paul,"  she  said.  "  You 
are  so  very  late,  that  I ' 

Paul  Maxgregor  held  the  trembling  hands  in  a 
strong  grasp.  There  was  something  in  his  glance 
that  caused  the  queen  to  lower  her  eyes  and  her 
face  to  flush  hotly.  It  was  not  the  first  time  that 
a  soldier  has  aspired  to  share  a  throne.  There  was 
more  than  one  tradition  in  the  berserker  Scotch 
family  to  bear  out  the  truth  of  it.  The  Maxgregors 


DEEPER   STILL  45 

of  Glen  had  helped  to  make  European  history  before 
now,  and  Paul  Maxgregor  was  not  the  softest  of 
his  race. 

Generally  he  passed  for  an  Asturian,  for  he  spoke 
the  language  perfectly,  having  been  in  the  service 
of  that  turbulent  State  for  the  last  twenty  odd  years. 
There  was  always  fighting  in  the  Balkan9^.nd  the  pay 
had  attracted  Paul  Maxgregor  in  his  earliest  days. 
But  though  his  •  loyalty  had  never  been  called  in 
question,  he  was  still  a  Briton  to  the  backbone. 

"  I  could  not  come  before,  Margaret,"  he  said. 
"  There  were  other  matters.  But  why  did  you 
bring  him  here  ?  Surely  Lord  Merehaven  does  not 
know  that  our  beloved  ruler " 

"  He  doesn't,  Paul.  But  I  had  to  be  here  and 
play  my  part.  And  there  came  news  that  the  king 
was  in  some  gambling  house  with  a  troupe  of  that 
archfiend's  spies.  The  police  helped  me,  and  I 
dragged  him  out  and  I  brought  him  here  by  way  of 
the  garden.  Vera  Galloway  did  the  rest.  I  dared 
not  leave  that  man  behind  me,  I  dared  not  trust  a 
single  servant  I  possess.  So  I  smuggled  the  king 
here  and  I  sent  for  you.  He  is  very  near  to  death 
to-night." 

"Let  him  die!"  Paul  Maxgregor  cried.  "Let 
the  carrion  perish !  Then  you  can  seat  yourself  on 
the  throne  of  Asturia,  and  I  will  see  that  you  don't 
want  for  a  following." 

The  queen  looked  up  with  a  mournful  smile  on 
her  face.  There  was  one  friend  here  whom  she 
could  trust,  and  she  knew  it  well.  Her  hands  were 
still  held  by  those  of  Maxgregor. 

"  You  are  too  impetuous,  Paul,"  she  said  softly. 
"  I  know  that  you  are  devoted  to  me,  that  yo — you 
love  me " 


46          THE   WEIGHT   OF  THE   CROWN 

"  I  love  you  with  my  whole  heart  and  soul,  sweet- 
heart," Maxgregor  whispered.  "  I  have  loved  you 
since  the  day  you  came  down  from  your  father's 
castle  in  the  hills  to  wed  the  drunken  rascal  who 
lies  there  heedless  of  his  peril.  The  Maxgregors 
have  ever  been  rash  where  their  affections  were 
concerned.  And  even  before  you  became  Erno's 
bride,  I  warned  you  what  to  expect.  I  would  have 
taken  you  off  then  and  there  and  married  you,  even 
though  I  had  lost  my  career  and  all  Europe  would 
have  talked  of  the  scandal.  But  your  mind  was 
fixed  upon  saving  Asturia  from  Russia,  and  you 
refused.  Not  because  you  did  not  love  me — 

The  queen  smiled  faintly.  This  handsome,  im- 
petuous, headstrong  soldier  spoke  no  more  than  the 
truth.  And  she  was  only  a  friendless,  desperate 
woman  after  all. 

"  I  must  go  on,  Paul,"  she  said.  "  My  duty  lies 
plainly  before  me.  Suppose  Erno  .  . .  dies  ?  He  may 
die  to-night.  And  if  he  does,  what  will  happen  ? 
As  sure  as  you  and  I  stand  at  this  moment  here, 
Russia  will  produce  some  document  purporting  to 
be  signed  by  the  king.  The  forgery  will  be  a  clever 
one,  but  it  will  be  a  forgery  all  the  same.  It  will  be 
proved  that  Erno  has  sold  his  country,  the  money 
will  be  traced  to  him,  and  Russia  will  take  possession 
of  those  Southern  passes.  This  information  comes 
from  a  sure  hand.  And  if  Russia  can  make  out  a 
case  like  this,  Europe  will  not  interfere.  Spies 
everywhere  will  make  out  that  I  had  a  hand  in  the 
business,  and  all  my  work  will  be  in  vain.  Think 
of  it,  Paul — put  your  own  feelings  aside  for  a  moment. 
Erno  must  not  die." 

Maxgregor  paced  up  and  down  the  room  with  long, 
impatient  strides.  The  pleading  voice  of  the  queen 


DEEPER   STILL  47 

had  touched  him.  When  he  spoke  again  his  tone 
was  calmer. 

"  You  are  right,"  he  said.  "  Your  sense  of  duty 
and  honour  make  me  ashamed.  Mind  you,  were 
the  king  to  die  I  should  be  glad.  I  would  take  you 
out  of  the  turmoil  of  all  this,  and  you  would  be 
happy  for  the  first  time  in  your  life.  We  are 
wasting  valuable  time.  See  here." 

As  Maxgregor  spoke  he  took  a  white  package  from 
his  pocket  and  tore  off  the  paper.  Two  small 
bottles  were  disclosed.  The  general  drew  the  cork 
from  one  of  them. 

"  I  got  this  from  Dr.  Salerno — I  could  not  find 
Dr.  Varney,"  he  explained — "  and  is  for  our  dis- 
tinguished drunkard — he  takes  one.  The  other  is 
to  be  administered  drop  by  drop  every  ten  minutes. 
Salerno  told  me  that  the  next  orgie  like  this  was 
pretty  sure  to  be  fatal.  He  said  he  had  made  the 
remedy  strong." 

The  smaller  bottle  was  opened,  and  Maxgregor 
proceeded  to  raise  the  head  of  the  sleeping  figure. 
He  tilted  up  the  phial  and  poured  the  contents 
down  the  sleeper's  throat.  He  coughed  and  gurgled, 
but  he  managed  to  swallow  it  down.  Then  there 
was  a  faint  pulsation  of  the  rigid  limbs,  the  white, 
mean  face  took  on  a  tinge  as  if  the  blood  were  flowing 
again.  Presently  a  pair  of  bloodshot  eyes  were 
opened  and  looked  dully  round  the  room.  The 
king  sat  up  and  shuddered. 

"  What  have  you  given  me  ?  "  he  asked  fretfully. 
"  My  mouth  is  on  fire.  Fetch  me  champagne, 
brandy,  anything  that  tastes  of  drink.  What  are 
you  staring  at,  fool  ?  Don't  you  see  him  over  there  ? 
He's  got  a  knife  in  his  hand — he's  all  dressed  in  red. 
He's  after  me!  " 


48          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

With  a  yell  the  unhappy  man  sprang  from  the 
bed  and  flew  to  the  window.  The  spring  blind 
shot  up  and  the  casement  was  forced  back  before 
Maxgregor  could  interfere.  Another  moment  and 
the  madman  would  have  been  smashed  on  the  flag- 
stones below.  With  something  that  sounded  like 
an  oath  Maxgregor  dashed  forward  only  just  in  time. 
His  strong  hands  reached  the  drink-soddened  maniac 
back,  the  casement  was  shut  down,  but  in  the  heat 
and  excitement  of  the  moment  the  blind  remained 
up,  so  that  it  was  just  possible  from  the  terrace  at 
the  end  of  the  garden  to  see  into  the  room. 

But  this  Maxgregor  had  not  time  to  notice.  He 
had  the  ruler  of  Asturia  back  on  the  bed  now, 
weak  and  helpless  and  almost  collapsed  after  his 
outburst  of  violence.  The  delusion  of  the  red  figure 
with  the  knife  had  passed  for  a  moment,  and  the 
king's  eyes  were  closed.  Yet  his  heart  was  beating 
now,  and  he  bore  something  like  the  semblance  of 
a  man. 

"  And  to  think  that  on  a  wretch  like  that  the  fate 
of  a  kingdom  hangs,"  Maxgregor  said  sadly.  '  You 
can  leave  him  to  me,  Margaret,  for  the  time  being. 
Your  absence  will  be  noticed  by  Mazaroff  and  the 
rest.  Give  the  signal.  .  .  Why  doesn't  that  girl 
come?  " 

But  the  signal  was  repeated  twice  with  no  sign 
of  the  sham  Miss  Galloway. 


CHAPTER   VI 

THE   PERIL  SPEAKS 

THE  two  conspirators  exchanged  uneasy  glances. 
The  king  seemed  to  have  dropped  off  again 
into  a  heavy  sleep,  for  his  chest  was  rising  steadily. 
Evidently  the  powerful  drug  had  done  its  work. 
Maxgregor  had  opened  the  second  phial,  and  had 
already  begun  to  drop  the  spots  at  intervals  on  the 
sleeping  man's  lips. 

"  There  must  be  something  wrong,"  the  queen 
said  anxiously.  "  I  am  sure  Miss  Galloway  is  quite 
to  be  relied  upon.  She  knew  that  she  had  to  wait. 
They — why  does  she  not  come  ?  " 

"  Watched,  probably,"  Maxgregor  said  between 
his  teeth.  "  There  are  many  spies  about.  This 
delay  may  cause  serious  trouble,  but  you  must  not 
return  back  by  yourself.  .  .  .  Try  again." 

Once  more  the  signal  was  tried,  and  after  the 
lapse  of  an  anxious  moment  a  knock  came  at  the 
door.  The  queen  crossed  rapidly  and  opened  it. 
Jessie  stood  there  a  little  flushed  and  out  of  breath. 

"  I  could  not  come  before,"  she  explained.  "  A 
man  found  me  by  the  fountain.  I  can  hardly  tell 
you  why,  but  I  am  quite  sure  that  he  is  your  enemy. 
If  you  knew  Prince  Boris  Mazaroff " 

"  You  did  wisely,"  the  queen  said.  "  I  know 
Mazaroff  quite  well,  and  certainly  he  is  no  friend  of 
mine  or  of  my  adopted  country.  You  did  not  let 
him  see  you  come  ?  " 

49 


50          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"No;  I  had  to  wait  till  there  was  a  chance  to  get 
rid  of  him,  madame.  A  friend  came  to  my  assistance, 
and  Lord  Merehaven  was  impressed  into  the  service. 
Mazaroff  will  not  trouble  us  for  some  little  time ; 
he  will  not  be  free  before  you  regain  the  salon.  And 
this  gentleman " 

**  Will  have  to  stay  here.  He  has  to  look  after 
the  king.  Lock  the  door,  Paul." 

Maxgregor  locked  the  door  behind  the  queen 
and  Jessie.  They  made  their  way  quickly  into  the 
garden  again  without  being  seen.  It  was  well  that 
no  time  was  lost,  for  the  concert  in  the  salon  was 
just  over,  and  the  guests  were  beginning  to  troop  out 
into  the  open  air.  The  night  was  so  calm  and  warm 
that  it  was  possible  to  sit  outside.  Already  a  small 
army  of  footmen  were  coming  with  refreshments. 
The  queen  slipped  away  and  joined  a  small  party 
of  the  diplomatic  circle,  but  the  warm  pressure  of 
her  hand  and  the  radiancy  of  her  smile  testified  to 
her  appreciation  of  Jessie's  services. 

The  girl  was  feeling  uneasy  and  nervous  now. 
She  was  wondering  what  was  going  to  happen  next. 
She  slipped  away  from  the  rest  and  sauntered 
down  a  side  path  that  led  to  a  garden  grove.  Her 
head  was  in  a  maze  of  confusion.  She  had  prac- 
tically eaten  nothing  all  day ;  she  was  feeling  the 
want  of  food  now.  She  sat  down  on  a  rustic  seat 
and  laid  her  aching  head  back. 

Presently  two  men  passed  her,  one  old  and  grey 
and  distinguished-looking,  whom  she  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  recognizing  as  Lord  Merehaven.  Nor  was 
Jessie  in  the  least  surprised  to  see  that  his  companion 
was  Prince  Mazaroff.  The  two  men  were  talking 
earnestly  together. 

"  I  assure  you,  my  lord,  I  am  speaking  no  more 


THE   PERIL   SPEAKS  51 

than  the  truth,"  Mazaroff  said  eagerly.  "  The  secret 
treaty  between  Russia  and  Asturia  over  those  passes 
is  ready  for  signature.  It  was  handed  to  King  Erno 
only  to-day,  and  he  promised  to  read  it  and  return 
it  signed  in  the  morning." 

"  Provided  that  he  is  in  a  position  to  sign," 
Lord  Merehaven  said  drily. 

"  Just  so,  my  lord.  Under  that  treaty  Russia 
gets  the  Southern  passes.  Once  that  is  a  fact,  he 
fate  of  Asturia  is  sealed.  You  can  see  that,  of 
course?  " 

"  Yes,  I  can  see  that,  Prince.  It  is  a  question  of 
absorbing  Asturia.  I  would  give  a  great  deal  for 
a  few  words  now  with  the  King  of  Asturia." 

"  I  dare  say,"  Mazaroff  muttered.  "  So  would  I 
for  that  matter.  But  nobody  knows  where  he  is. 
He  has  a  knack  of  mysteriously  disappearing  when 
on  one  of  his  orgies.  The  last  time  he  was  discovered 
in  Paris  in  a  drinking  den,  herding  with  some  of  the 
worst  characters  in  Europe.  At  the  present  moment 
his  suite  are  looking  for  him  everywhere.  You  see, 
he  has  that  treaty  in  his  pocket " 

Lord  Merehaven  turned  in  his  stride  and  muttered 
that  he  must  see  to  something  immediately.  Maza- 
roff refrained  from  following,  saying  that  he  would 
smoke  a  cigarette  in  the  seclusion  of  the  garden. 
The  light  from  a  lantern  fell  on  the  face  of  the  Russian, 
and  Jessie  could  plainly  see  the  evil  triumph  there. 

**  The  seed  has  fallen  on  fruitful  ground,"  Mazaroff 

laughed.  "  That  pompous  old  ass  will Igon ! 

What  is  it  ?  " 

Another  figure  appeared  out  of  the  gloom  and  stood 
before  Mazaroff.  The  new-comer  might  have  been 
an  actor  from  his  shaven  face  and  alert  air.  He  was 
in  evening  dress,  and  wore  a  collar  of  some  order. 


52          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  I  followed  you,"  the  man  addressed  as  Igon 
said.  "  What  am  I  looking  so  annoyed  about  ? 
Well,  you  will  look  quite  as  much  annoyed,  my  friend, 
when  you  hear  the  news.  We've  lost  the  king." 
Something  like  an  oath  rose  to  MazarofF s  lips. 
He  glanced  angrily  at  his  companion. 

"  The  thing  is  impossible,"  he  said.  "  Why,  I  saw 
the  king  myself  at  four  o'clock  this  afternoon  in  a 
state  of  hopeless  intoxication.  It  was  I  who  lured 
him  from  his  hotel  with  the  story  of  some  wonderful 
dancing  he  was  going  to  see,  with  a  prospect  of  some 
gambling  to  follow.  I  spoke  in  glowing  terms  of  the 
marvellous  excellency  of  the  champagne.  I  said  he 
would  have  to  be  careful,  as  the  police  have  their  eyes 
on  the  place.  Disguised  as  a  waiter  the  king  left 
his  hotel  and  joined  me.  I  saw  him  helplessly  drunk, 
and  I  came  away  with  instructions  that  the  king  was 
to  be  carefully  watched,  and  that  he  was  not  to  be 
allowed  to  leave.  Don't  stand  there  and  tell  me  that 
my  carefully  planned  coup  of  so  many  weeks  has 
failed." 

"  I  do  tell  you  that,  and  the  sooner  you  realize  it 
the  better,"  the  other  man  said.  "  We  put  the  king 
to  bed  and  locked  the  door  on  the  outside.  Just 
before  dusk  the  police  raided  the  place " 

"  By  what  right  ?  It  is  a  private  house.  Nothing 
has  ever  taken  place  there  that  the  police  object 
to.  Of  course,  it  was  quite  a  fairy  tale  that  I  pitched 
to  the  King  of  Asturia." 

"  Well.,  there  it  is !  "  the  other  said  gloomily.  "The 
police  raided  the  place.  Possibly  somebody  put 
them  up  to  it.  That  Maxgregor  is  a  devil  of  a  fellow 
who  finds  out  everything.  They  found  nothing, 
and  went -off  professing  to  be  satisfied.  And  when 
I  unlocked  the  door  to  see  that  we  hadn't  gone  too 


THE   PERIL   SPEAKS  53 

far  with  the  king,  he  had  vanished.  I  only  found 
them  out  a  little  time  ago,  and  I  came  to  you  at  once. 
Not  being  an  invited  guest,  I  did  not  run  the  risk 
of  coming  to  the  house,  but  I  got  over  the  garden 
wall  from  the  stables  beyond,  and  here  I  am.  It's 
no  use  blaming  me,  Mazaroff ;  I  could  not  have 
helped  it — nobody  could  have  helped  it." 

Mazaroff  paced  up  and  down  the  gravel  walk 
anxiously.  His  gloomy  brows  were  knitted  into  a 
frown.  A  little  while  later  and  his  face  cleared 
again. 

"  I  begin  to  see  my  way,"  he  said.  "  We  have 
people  here  to  deal  with  cleverer  than  I  anticipated. 
There  is  no  time  to  be  lost,  Igon.  Come  this  way." 

The  two  rascals  disappeared,  leaving  Jessie  more 
mystified  than  ever.  Then  she  rose  to  her  feet  in 
her  turn  and  made  her  way  towards  the  house.  At 
any  rate,  she  had  made  a  discovery  worth  knowing. 
It  seemed  to  be  her  duty  to  tell  the  queen  what  she 
had  discovered.  But  the  queen  seemed  to  have 
vanished,  for  Jessie  could  not  find  her  in  the  grounds 
of  the  house.  As  she  came  out  of  the  hall  she  saw 
Ronald  Hope,  who  appeared  to  be  looking  for  some- 
body. 

"  I  wanted  you,"  he  said  in  an  undertone.  "  An 
explanation  is  due  to  me.  You  were  going  to  tell 
me  everything.  I  have  never  come  across  a  more 
maddening  mystery  than  this,  Jessie." 

"  Don't  even  whisper  my  name,"  the  girl  said. 
"  I  will  tell  you  everything  presently.  Mean- 
while, I  shall  be  very  glad  if  you  will  tell  me  where 
I  can  find  the  Queen  of  Asturia." 

"  She  has  gone,"  was  the  unexpected  reply.  "  She 
was  talking  to  Lady  Merehaven  when  a  messenger 
came  with  a  big  letter.  The  queen  glanced  at  it 


54          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

and  ordered  her  carriage  at  once.  She  went  quite 
suddenly.  I  hope  there  is  nothing  wrong,  but  from 
the  expression  of  your  face 

"  I  hope  my  face  is  not  as  eloquent  as  all  that," 
Jessie  said.  "  What  I  have  to  say  to  the  queen 
will  keep,  or  the  girl  I  am  impersonating  can  carry 
the  information.  Let  us  go  out  into  the  garden, 
where  we  can  talk  freely.  I  am  doing  a  bold  thing, 
Ronald,  and What  is  it  ?  " 

A  footman  was  handing  a  letter  for  Jessie  on  a 
tray.  The  letter  was  addressed  to  Miss  Galloway, 
and  just  for  an  instant  Jessie  hesitated.  The  letter 
might  be  quite  private. 

"  Delivered  by  the  young  person  from  Bond  Street, 
miss,"  the  footman  said.  "  The  young  person 
informed  me  that  she  hoped  to  come  back  with  all 
that  you  required  in  an  hour,  miss.  Meanwhile 
she  seemed  to  be  anxious  for  you  to  get  this  letter." 

"  What  a  complication  it  all  is,"  Jessie  said  as  she 
tore  open  the  envelope  and  read  the  contents  under 
the  big  electrics  in  the  hall.  "  This  is  another 
mystery,  Ronald.  Read  it." 

Ronald  Hope  leaned  over  Jessie's  shoulder  and 
read  as  follows  : — 

"  At  all  hazards  go  up  to  the  bedroom  where  the 
king  is,  and  warn  the  general  he  is  watched.  Im- 
plore him  for  Heaven's  sake  and  his  own  to  pull 
down  the  blind  !  " 


CHAPTER   VII 

"  UNEASY  LIES  THE   HEAD  " 

JESSIE  crushed  the  paper  carelessly  in  the  palm 
of  her  hand.  Her  impulse  was,  of  course,  to 
destroy  the  letter,  seeing  that  the  possession  of  it  was 
not  unattended  with  danger,  but  there  was  no  chance 
at  present.  The  thing  would  have  to  be  burnt  to 
make  everything  safe. 

"How  long  since  the  note  came?"  she  asked 
the  footman  with  an  assumption  of  displeasure. 
"  Really,  these  tradespeople  are  most  annoying." 

The  footman  was  understood  to  say  that  the  note 
had  only  just  arrived,  that  it  had  been  left  by  the 
young  person  herself  with  an  intimation  that  she 
would  return  presently.  To  all  of  this  Jessie  listened 
with  a  well-acted  impatience. 

"  I  suppose  I  shall  have  to  put  up  with  it,"  she 
said.  "  You  know  where  to  ask  the  girl  if  she  comes. 
That  will  do.  What  were  we  talking  about,  Captain 
Hope?" 

It  was  all  admirably  done,  as  Ronald  Hope  was 
fain  to  admit.  But  he  did  not  like  it,  and  he  did  not 
hesitate  to  say  so.  He  wanted  to  know  what  it  all 
meant.  And  he  spoke  as  one  who  had  every  right 
to  know. 

"  I  can  hardly  tell  you,"  Jessie  said  unsteadily. 
"  Events  are  moving  so  fast  to-night  that  they  are 
getting  on  my  nerves.  Meanwhile,  you  seem  to  know 
General  Maxgregor  very  well — you  say  that  you  are 
anxious  to  obtain  a  post  in  the  Asturian  service. 


55 


56          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

That  means,  of  course,  that  you  know  something  of 
the  history  of  the  country.  The  character  of  the 
king,  for  instance " 

"  Bad,"  Hope  said  tersely,  "  very  bad  indeed. 
A  drunkard,  a  roue,  and  a  traitor.  It  is  for  the 
queen's  sake  that  I  turn  to  Asturia." 

"  I  can  quite  understand  that.  Queen  Margaret 
of  Asturia  seems  very  fortunate  in  her  friends.  Look 
at  this.  Then  put  it  in  your  pocket,  and  take  the 
first  opportunity  of  destroying  it." 

And  Jessie  handed  the  mysterious  note  to  Ronald, 
who  read  it  again  with  a  puzzled  air. 

"  That  came  from  Vera  Galloway,"  the  girl 
explained.  "  She  is  close  by,  but  she  does  not  seem 
to  have  finished  her  task  yet.  Why  I  am  here  play- 
ing her  part  I  cannot  say.  But  there  it  is.  This 
letter  alludes  to  General  Maxgregor,  who  is  upstairs  in 
one  of  the  rooms  in  close  attendance  on  the  King  of 
Asturia,  who  is  suffering  from  one  of  his  alcoholic 
attacks.  Do  you  think  that  it  is  possible  for 
anybody  to  see  into  the  room  ?  " 

"  Certainly,"  Ronald  replied.  "  For  instance, 
there  are  terraces  at  the  end  of  the  garden  made 
to  hide  the  mews  at  the  back  from  overlooking  the 
grounds.  An  unseen  foe  hidden  there  in  the  trees, 
with  a  good  glass,  may  discover  a  good  deal.  Vere 
Galloway  knows  that,  or  she  would  not  have  sent 
you  that  note.  You  had  better  see  to  it  at  once." 

Jessie  hurried  away,  having  first  asked  Hope  to 
destroy  the  note.  The  door  of  the  room  containing 
the  king  was  locked,  and  Jessie  had  to  rap  upon  it 
more  than  once  before  it  was  opened.  A  voice 
inside  demanded  her  business. 

"  I  come  with  a  message  from  the  queen,"  she 
whisperecj.  She  was  in  a  hurry,  and  there  was 


"UNEASY    LIES   THE    HEAD"  57 

always  the  chance  of  the  servants  coming  along. 
"  Please  let  me  in." 

Very  cautiously  the  door  was  opened.  General 
Maxgregor  stood  there  with  a  bottle  in  his  hand. 
His  face  was  deadly  pale,  and  his  hand  shook  as  if  he 
had  a  great  fear  of  something.  The  fear  was  physical, 
or  Jessie  was  greatly  mistaken. 

"  What  has  happened  ?"  she  asked.  "  Tell  me, 
what  has  frightened  you  so  terribly  ?" 

"Frightened  ! "  Maxgregor  stammered.  It  seemed 
odd  at  the  moment  to  think  of  this  man  as  one  of  the 
bravest  and  most  dashing  cavalry  officers  in  Europe. 
"  I  don't  understand  what  you  mean  ? " 

With  just  a  gesture  of  scorn  Jessie  indicated  the 
cheval  glass  opposite.  As  Maxgregor  glanced  at 
the  polished  mirror  he  saw  a  white,  ghastly  face,  wet 
with  sweat,  and  with  a  furtive,  shrinking  look  in  the 
eyes.  He  passed  the  back  of  his  hand  over  his  moist 
forehead. 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  he  said.  "  I  had  not 
known — I  could  not  tell.  And  I  have  been  passing 
through  one  of  the  fiercest  temptations  that  ever 
lured  a  man  to  the  edge  of  the  Pit.  You  are 
brave  and  strong,  Miss  Galloway,  and  already  you 
have  given  evidences  of  vour  devotion  to  the  queen. 
Look  there ! " 

With  loathing  and  contempt  Maxgregor  indicated 
the  bed  on  which  the  King  of  Asturia  was  lying. 
The  pitiful,  mean,  low  face  and  its  frame  of  shock 
red  hair  did  not  appeal  to  Jessie. 

"  Not  like  one's  recognized  notion  of  royalty,"  she 
said. 

"  Royalty !  The  meanest  beggar  that  haunts 
the  gutter  is  a  prince  compared  to  him.  He  drinks, 
he  gambles,  he  is  preparing  to  barter  his  crown  for  a 


58          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

mess  of  pottage.  And  the  fellow's  heart  is  hopelessly 
weak.  At  any  moment  he  may  die,  and  the  heart  of 
the  queen  will  be  broken.  Not  for  him,  but  for  the 
sake  of  her  people.  You  see  this  bottle  in  my  hand  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Jessie  whispered.     "  It  might  be  a  poison 

and  you — and  you " 

"  Might  be  a  poisoner,"  Maxgregor  laughed  uneasily. 
"The  reverse  is  the  case.  I  have  to  administer  the 
bottle  drop  by  drop  till  it  is  exhausted,  and  if  I  fail 
the  king  dies.  Miss  Galloway,  when  you  came  into 
the  room  you  were  face  to  face  with  a  murderer." 

"  You  mean  to  say,"  Jessie  stammered,  "  that 
you  were  going  to  refrain  from — from " 

"  That  was  it,  though  you  hesitate  to  say  the  word. 
I  had  only  to  get  rid  of  the  contents  of  that  bottle  and 
let  it  be  tacitly  understood  that  the  patient  had  taken 
his  medicine.  In  an  hour  he  would  be  dead — his 
heart  would  have  given  way  under  the  strain.  The 
world  would  have  been  well  rid  of  a  scoundrel,  and 
I  should  never  have  been  found  out.  The  queen 
would  have  regained  her  freedom  at  the  loss  of 
Asturia.  And  I  would  have  consoled  her — I  could 
have  healed  her  wound." 

The  last  words  came  with  a  fierce  indrawing  of  the 
speaker's  breath.  One  glance  at  his  face,  and  Jessie 
knew  everything.  She  could  feel  for  the  long-drawn 
agony  of  the  strong  man's  temptation.  She  loved 
herself,  and  she  could  realize  it  all.  There  was 
nothing  but  pity  in  her  heart. 

"  I  understand,"  she  said.  "  Oh,  I  understand 
perfectly.  I  came  in  time  to  save  you.  General 
Maxgregor,  this  matter  must  never  be  alluded  to 
between  us  again.  The  temptation  is  past  now,  I 
am  certain.  A  brave  and  good  soldier  like  you — 
But  I  am  forgetting.  I  did  not  come  to  you  from 


'W hat  is  it?'  Jessie  asked  anxiously. 


The  Weight  of  the  Crown  — Page  59 


"UNEASY   LIES   THE   HEAD"  59 

the  queen  as  I  said,  because  the  queen  has  already 
departed.  I  had  an  urgent  message  from  some 
unknown  friend  who  desires  me  to  say  that  you 
have  left  the  blind  up." 

"Bless  me!  and  is  that  really  a  fact?  "  Maxgregor 
exclaimed.  "And  it  is  quite  possible  for  any  one  to 
see  into  this  room  from  the  terrace  at  the  end  of  the 
garden.  I  used  to  play  here  as  a  boy.  There  are 
many  spies  about  to-night.  I  am  glad  you  reminded 
me." 

Maxgregor  crossed  over  to  the  window  and  laid 
his  hand  on  the  blind.  As  he  stood  there  with  the 
light  behind  him  his  figure  was  picked  out  clear  and 
sharp.  The  blind  came  down  with  a  rush,  there  was 
a  little  tinkle  of  glass,  and  the  general  staggered 
back  with  his  hand  to  his  shoulder.  A  moan  of  pain 
escaped  him  as  he  collapsed  into  a  chair. 

"What  is  it  ? "  Jessie  asked  anxiously.  "  Pray  tell 
me,  what  is  the  matter  ?  That  broken  glass ' 

"  A  bullet,"  Maxgregor  whispered  between  his 
teeth,  that  were  clenched  in  pain.  "  As  I  stood  in  the 
window  somebody  fired  at  me  from  the  garden.  It 
must  have  been  a  watcher  hidden  amongst  the  trees 
on  the  terrace.  A  little  more  to  the  left  and  my 
career  had  been  ended." 

The  man  had  obtained  a  grip  of  himself  now,  but 
he  was  evidently  suffering  intense  pain.  A  dark 
stain  of  red  broke  out  on  the  left  side  of  his  coat. 
"  I  have  been  hit  in  the  shoulder,"  he  said.  "  I  have 
no  doubt  that  it  is  little  more  than  a  flesh  wound, 
but  it  is  bleeding,  and  I  feel  faint.  I  once  lay  on  the 
battlefield  all  night  with  such  a  wound,  so  that  I  can 
put  up  with  it.  Please  leave  me  alone  for  a  moment ; 
do  not  think  of  me  at  all.  It  is  just  the  time  for  the 
king  to  have  another  dose  of  those  drops.  There 


60          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

is  no  help  for  it  now,  Miss  Galloway.  You  must 
stay  and  give  the  king  his  medicine  until  it  is  all 
gone.  Meanwhile,  I  can  only  sit  here  and  suffer. 
For  Heaven's  sake  never  mind  me." 

Jessie  took  the  bottle  from  the  hand  of  the  stricken 
man  and  walked  to  the  bed.  She  marvelled  at  the 
steadiness  of  her  own  hand.  The  drops  fell  on  the 
lips  of  the  sleeping  man,  who  was  now  breathing 
regularly.  Half  an  hour  passed,  and  then  the  bottle 
was  empty. 

"  I  have  done  my  task,"  Jessie  said.  "  What 
next  ?  Shall  I  call  Lord  Merehaven 

"  Not  for  worlds,"  Maxgregor  whispered  fiercely. 
"  He  must  not  know.  We  must  wait  till  the 
house  is  quiet.  There  is  no  occasion  .  .  .  how 
faint  and  giddy  I  am !  If  there  was  only  one  man 
whom  I  could  trust  at  this  critical  moment  ! " 


CHAPTER   VIII 

THE   VERY  MAN 

JESSIE  thought  for  a  moment,  then  a  brilliant 
inspiration  came  to  her.  She  touched  Max- 
gregor  on  the  arm. 

"  I  have  the  very  man,"  she  said.  "  You  know 
him ;  he  is  a  good  and  efficient  soldier.  Moreover,  he 
is  anxious  to  obtain  a  post  in  the  Asturian  army. 
He  is  a  great  friend  of  mine — Captain  Ronald  Hope." 

"  You  are  a  veritable  angel  of  mercy  and  courage," 
Maxgregor  oried.  "  There  is  no  man  I  would  sooner 
trust  in  a  crisis  like  this  than  Captain  Hope.  Will 
you  take  long  to  find  him  ?  " 

Jessie  engaged  to  have  Ronald  in  the  room  in  five 
minutes.  She  crept  down  the  stairs  as  if  listless 
and  bored  with  everything,  but  her  heart  was  beating 
thick  and  fast.  There  was  no  trouble  in  finding 
Ronald, who  advanced  towards  the  stairs  at  Jessie's 
signal.  She  wasted  no  words  in  idle  explanation, 
but  led  him  directly  to  the  room  where  Maxgregor 
was  waiting. 

"  We  seem  to  have  dropped  into  a  murderous 
gang,"  he  said,  when  the  hurried  explanation  was 
finished.  "Do  you  think  those  fellows  know  every- 
thing, General  ?  " 

"  I  fancy  they  know  a  great  deal,"  Maxgregor 
muttered.  "They  know  that  they  will  be  more 
safe  if  I  am  out  of  the  way,  and  they  have  a  pretty 
good  notion  of  the  identity  of  the  poor  fool  lying 
on  the  bed  yonder.  If  we  could  only  get  him  away  ! 

61 


62          THE   WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

He  had  no  business  to  come  here  at  all,  and  yet  the 
queen  could  not  do  anything  else.  If  we  could  only 
get  him  away  !  " 

"  Wouldn't  it  come  to  the  same  thing  if  those 
murderous  ruffians  merely  thought  that  the  king 
had  gone  ?  "  Jessie  asked.  "  Then  in  the  dead  of 
the  night  I  could  manage  the  real  removal.  If  I 
could  show  you  a  way  of  throwing  dust  in  the  eyes 
of  those  people " 

"  You  have  apian  ?  "  Maxgregor  said.  "A  clever 
woman  against  the  world  !  Say  on." 

"  My  plan  is  a  very  simple  one,"  Jessie  said. 
"  Before  long  the  grounds  will  be  deserted  for  supper. 
There  will  be  nobody  in  the  garden  at  all.  Supper 
is  at  midnight.  Change  clothes  with  the  king, 
though  it  will  be  a  tight  fit  for  you,  General.  Then 
you  can  descend  by  the  balcony  to  the  garden.  Go 
to  the  gate  that  leads  into  the  lane  beyond,  walk  as 
if  you  were  under  the  influence  of  recent  potations. 
At  the  end  of  the  lane  are  cabs.  Take  one  and  go  to 
your  chambers  and  send  for  a  doctor.  Doubtless 
you  will  be  followed  in  another  cab  by  whoever  was, 
or  rather  is,  in  the  garden,  but  I  will  see  that  the 
murderer  is  delayed.  Later  on  Captain  Hope  and 
myself  will  decide  what  is  to  be  done  with  the  king." 

The  plan  was  simple,  but  quite  sufficient  for  the 
circumstances.  Jessie  retired  into  the  dressing- 

*/  w 

room  whilst  the  change  was  being  made.  She  was 
not  sorry  for  a  little  time  to  collect  her  thoughts. 
It  seemed  to  her  that  she  had  lived  for  a  century 
since  the  few  hours  before  when  Madame  Malmaison 
had  given  her  a  curt  dismissal.  A  lifetime  had 
been  crushed  into  minutes.  The  girl  was  being 
taxed  now  to  the  utmost  limit  of  her  strength.  She 
longed  for  Vera  Galloway's  return. 


THE   VERY   MAN  63 

Still,  she  had  achieved  her  object ;  she  was  likely 
to  be  free  from  anxiety  for  some  time  to  come,  and 
best  of  all,  she  had  found  Ronald  Hope  again.  It 
was  good  to  know  that  he  had  loved  her  all  along, 
and  that  he  had  not  once  faltered  in  his  allegiance. 
It  was  worth  a  great  deal  to  know  that. 

A  whisper  behind  the  door  of  the  dressing-room, 
and  Jessie  was  herself  again.  The  change  had  been 
made,  and  the  king  had  fallen  into  his  stupor  once 
more.  General  Maxgregor  looked  pinched  and 
confined  in  the  dress  of  his  king,  but  that  would 
pass  in  the  dark.  His  face  was  deadly  white  too, 
which  was  all  in  his  favour.  The  wound  had  ceased 
to  bleed,  but  the  pain  was  still  there. 

"  I  am  quite  ready,"  he  whispered,  "  when  you 
think  that  the  coast  is  clear." 

The  house  was  growing  noisy  again  as  the  guests 
filed  in  to  supper.  Jessie  ventured  into  the  corridor 
presently  and  looked  out  into  the  grounds.  So  far 
as  she  could  see  the  place  was  empty.  She  would 
go  and  take  her  place  by  the  door  leading  into  the 
lane,  and  the  general  was  to  follow  a  little  later. 
Would  Ronald  lend  her  half  a  sovereign?  Jessie 
shuddered  and  turned  a  little  pale  as  she  pushed 
through  the  belt  of  trees  behind  the  terrace,  for  the 
would-be  murderer  might  have  been  lurking  there 
at  that  moment. 

From  where  she  stood  she  could  see  Maxgregor 
coming  in  her  direction.  He  walked  unsteadily; 
there  was  no  reason  to  sham  intoxication,  for  his 
wound  did  that  for  him.  It  was  only  the  iron  nerve 
of  the  man  that  kept  him  going  at  all.  Jessie  was 
thankful  at  length  to  see  that  Maxgregor  had  reached 
the  door.  At  the  end  of  the  lane  two  hansoms  were 
standing.  The  general  stumbled  into  one  of  them 


64          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

and  was  driven  rapidly  away.  Then,  as  Jessie  had 
confidently  anticipated,  another  figure  emerged 
as  if  from  the  door  of  the  garden  and  hailed  the 
other  hansom.  Doubtless  the  idea  was  to  keep  the 
general's  cab  in  sight  and  track  him  to  his  des- 
tination, under  the  impression  that  the  King  of 
Asturia  was  in  the  first  hansom. 

But  Jessie  was  resolved  to  frustrate  that.  She 
stepped  quickly  forward  and  hailed  the  other  cab. 
Then  for  the  first  time  she  saw  that  the  newcomer 
was  not,  as  she  expected,  a  man,  but  a  woman.  She 
was  tall  and  fair,  and  exceedingly  good  looking. 

"  I  particularly  want  that  cab,"  she  said  coolly. 
"  I  put  up  my  hand  first." 

The  speaker  used  good  English,  Jessie  noticed, 
though  with  a  lisp.  Without  waiting  to  combat 
the  point,  Jessie  jumped  into  the  cab. 

"  There  is  another  a  little  way  down  the  lane," 
she  said.  "  I  am  in  a  hurry,  or  I  would  wait.  Please 
drive  me  to  14,  Albert  Mansions,  Hyde  Park." 

With  a  sort  of  smothered  exclamation,  the  other 
hurried  down  the  lane.  The  cabman  again  asked 
where  he  was  to  go.  He  had  not  caught  the 
direction,  he  said. 

"  I  don't  want  to  go  anywhere,"  Jessie  said  coolly, 
as  she  came  to  the  ground  again.  "  Take  this  half 
sovereign,  and  drive  some  distance,  say  a  mile,  at  a 
good  pace.  And  if  you  can  possibly  prevent  that 
woman  behind  catching  the  first  cab  so  much  the 
better.  Now  bang  your  doors  to  and  be  off." 

With  a  grin  the  cabman  touched  his  cap,  the  door 
banged,  and  the  hansom  set  off  as  if  the  fare  were 
in  a  breakneck  hurry.  Standing  well  back  in  the 
doorway  Jessie  had  the  satisfaction  of  seeing  the 
fair  woman  flash  by  her  presently  on  her  futile 


THE   VERY   MAN  65 

errand.  She  had  saved  the  situation  for  the  present. 
Nobody  guessed  where  the  King  of  Asturia  was,  and 
the  spy  had  gone  off  on  a  false  errand  altogether. 
No  doubt  the  would-be  assassin  had  departed  by 
this  time. 

In  a  fever  of  impatience  Ronald  Hope  awaited 
Jessie  at  the  steps  of  the  balcony.  The  gardens 
were  quite  deserted  by  this  time,  so  that  it  was 
possible  to  talk  in  safety. 

"  He  got  clear  off,"  Jessie  said,  not  without  a 
little  pardonable  pride.  "  As  I  expected,  an  at- 
tempt was  made  to  follow  him,  only  fortunately 
there  were  only  two  hansoms  in  the  lane,  and  I  took 
the  second  one  and  pretended  to  drive  away  whilst 
the  spy  was  hurrying  elsewhere  in  search  of  a 
conveyance.  That  was  what  I  wanted  your  half 
sovereign  for,  Ronald." 

"  And  the  spy  ?  "  Ronald  asked.  "  What  sort 
of  a  fellow  was  he  ?  " 

"  It  was  not  a  fellow  at  all.  The  spy  was  a 
woman,  and  a  very  nice  looking  one,  too.  Tall  and 
fair,  with  rather  a  patrician  cast  of  features.  But 
I  should  know  her  again." 

"  And  now  you  are  going  to  tell  me  everything, 
dearest  ?  "  Ronald  said. 

"  Indeed  I  am  not  going  to  do  anything  of  the 
sort  just  at  present,"  Jessie  said.  "  I  don't  want 
anybody  to  see  me  talking  to  you  in  this  fashion 
when  everybody  is  at  supper.  Recollect  that  I 
am  Miss  Vera  Galloway,  and  that  I  am  supposed 
to  be  fond  of  a  certain  Charles  Maxwell,  whose  friends 
may  make  mischief  for  him.  I  shall  go  into  supper  ; 
and  indeed,  Ronald,  a  little  food  and  a  glass  of  wine 
are  absolute  necessities,  for  my  legs  are  trembling  as 
if  I  had  walked  too  far.  Have  patience." 

E 


66          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

Ronald  bent  and  kissed  the  speaker,  with  a  fervent 
hope  that  everything  would  end  well.  Jessie  slipped 
into  the  supper-room  presently  and  took  her  seat 
at  a  table  with  three  other  people,  who  welcomed 
her  heartily.  She  had  not  the  least  idea  who  they 
were,  but  they  evidently  knew  Vera  Galloway  very 
well  indeed.  Some  of  the  questions  were  very 
awkward  ones  for  the  girl  to  reply  to. 

"  My  dear  friends,"  she  said,  "  I  am  ravenously 
hungry.  Positively,  I  have  a  country  appetite. 
A  little  of  the  chicken  and  salad  and  just  a  glass  of 
champagne.  I  am  not  going  to  answer  any  ques- 
tions till  I  have  had  my  supper.  Go  on  with  your 
gossip." 

In  spite  of  her  anxiety  Jessie  made  a  hearty  supper. 
She  was  glad  presently  when  a  footman  came  up  to 
her  with  a  message.  She  hoped  that  Vera  Galloway, 
in  the  guise  of  a  shop-girl,  had  come  back.  But 
it  was  not  the  real  Vera,  it  was  only  an  intimation 
to  the  effect  that  a  district  messenger  boy  was 
waiting  to  see  Miss  Vera  Galloway  in  the  hall. 
Hurriedly  Jessie  passed  out. 

"  Charing  Cross  'Ospital,  miss,"  the  lad  said 
as  he  touched  his  cap.  "  Young  person  from  a  shop. 
Had  a  nasty  accident ;  run  over  by  a  cab.  Said  as 
they  was  to  let  you  know  as  how  she  could  not  come 
to-night  and  see  to  your  hat  as  arranged." 

Jessie  checked  a  wild  burst  of  hysterical  laughter. 
She  was  in  a  pretty  predicament  indeed. 

She  was  not  even  aware  of  Vera's  maid's  name. 
She  would  write  a  letter  to  Vera  asking  for  definite 
instructions.  The  note  was  despatched  at  length, 
and  Jessie  came  into  the  hall  with  a  feeling  of  wonder 
as  to  what  was  going  to  happen  next.  She  was  glad 
to  find  Ronald  Hope  awaiting  her. 


THE   VERY   MAN  67 

"  There  are  lines  of  anxiety  on  your  face,"  he 
said.  "  I  shall  be  very  glad  when  the  real  Vera 
Galloway  comes  back  and  enables  that  '  young 
person  '  Jessie  Harcourt  to  depart  in  peace.  Let 
me  know  when  the  time  comes,  so  that  I  can  escort 
you  back  to  your  lodgings  and  talk  matters  over 
with  you  and  Ada." 

"  There  is  not  the  slightest  chance  of  your  doing 
that  to-night,  Ronald,"  Jessie  said,  repressing  a 
wild  desire  to  laugh.  "  My  dear  boy,  this  thing  is 
developing  from  one  adventure  to  a  hideous  night- 
mare. Of  course,  I  haven't  the  remotest  idea  what 
Miss  Galloway  had  in  her  mind  when  she  brought 
me  here,  but  I  have  just  heard  that  she  has  met 
with  an  accident  which  will  detain  her  in  Charing 
Cross  Hospital  till  the  end  of  the  week." 

"  Which  means  that  you  must  carry  on  the  mas- 
querade till  then  ?  " 

"  Which  means  that  I  must  try,  which  is  a  very 
different  thing  altogether.  I  can  only  clear  myself 
by  confessing  the  truth,  and  thereby  getting  Miss 
Galloway  into  serious  trouble.  She  is  a  good  girl, 
and  I  am  certain  that  she  is  up  to  no  wrong.  She 
is  making  a  great  sacrifice  for  the  sake  of  somebody 
else.  If  I  tell  the  truth,  that  sacrifice  will  be  in  vain. 
Ronald,  tell  me  what  I  am  to  do  for  the  best." 

But  Ronald  Hope  had  no  advice  to  offer.  The 
situation  was  beyond  the  wildest  dreams  of  fiction. 
He  could  only  shrug  his  shoulders  and  hope  for  the 
best.  There  was  nothing  for  it  now  but  to  sit  down 
and  watch  the  progress  of  events. 

"  Let  us  go  and  enjoy  ourselves,"  Ronald  said. 
"  I  feel  horribly  guilty  over  the  whole  thing,  especi- 
ally as  Lady  Merehaven  is  such  a  dear  good  friend 
of  mine.  Is  that  a  band  I  can  hear  in  the  garden  ? 


68          THE   WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

Let  us  walk  about,  and  pretend  that  we  are  perfectly 
gay  and  happy." 

Supper  was  over  by  this  time,  and  the  guests  all 
over  the  house  and  grounds.  Jessie  thought  of 
that  white,  silent  form  sleeping  in  the  room  where 
she  had  conducted  the  Queen  of  Asturia  and  General 
Maxgregor.  A  sudden  thought  had  come  to  her. 

"  I  can't  do  it,  Ronald,"  she  said.  "  Practically, 
I  am  left  guardian  of  a  king.  I,  who  was  only 
this  morning  quite  content  to  try  on  bonnets  in  a 
Bond  Street  shop !  It  seems  almost  incredible, 
but  the  fact  remains.  If  his  majesty  comes  to  his 
senses " 

"  By  Jove!  "  Ronald  said  thoughtfully.  "  I  have 
never  thought  of  that.  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  " 

"  Run  upstairs  again  and  see  that  the  king  is  all 
right.  Then  there  is  another  matter  that  has  en- 
tirely escaped  my  attention  in  the  new  complication 
— General  Maxgregor.  He  went  away  from  here 
badly  hurt  and  in  great  pain.  He  may  have  fainted 
in  the  cab — he  may  be  dead,  perhaps.  Ronald,  you 
must  be  guided  by  me.  You  have  the  run  of  the 
house — you  seem  to  come  and  go  as  you  like." 

"  I  have  had  the  run  of  the  house  since  I  was  a 
kid  in  knickerbockers,  Jessie." 

"  Very  good.  Then  you  are  to  go  at  once  to  the 
general's  lodgings  and  see  that  everything  is  being 
done  for  him.  Then  come  back  and  report  progress. 
Go  at  once,  please." 

Ronald  departed  obediently.  As  Jessie  crossed 
the  room  in  the  direction  of  the  house,  three  girls 
stood  in  her  way.  She  would  have  passed  them 
for  strangers,  but  they  held  on  to  her  in  a  manner 
so  familiar  that  Jessie  realized  they  were  friends 
of  Vera  Galloway's. 


THE   VERY   MAN  69 

"  What  is  the  matter  with  the  girl  to-night  ?  "  one 
of  them  cried  gaily.  "  There  is  a  frown  on  her  brow, 
there  are  lines  on  her  cheeks.  Is  it  Tommy  or 
Larry  that  causes  the  trouble  ?  " 

Jessie  laughed  in  affected  good  humour,  won- 
dering all  the  while  who  Tommy  and  Larry  might 
be.  The  question  was  pressed  again,  and  there  was 
nothing  but  to  answer  it. 

"  Oh,  they  are  all  right,"  she  said  in  an  offhand 
way.  "  Haven't  you  seen  them  to-night  ?  " 

"  To-night !  "  one  of  the  girls  cried.  "  When  ? 
On  one  of  the  tables  after  the  sugar  ?  Positively, 
I  am  jealous  of  your  Larry.  But  he  would  not  have 
done  so  well  at  Brighton  if  Lionel  had  been  there." 

"  Possibly  not,"  Jessie  admitted.  "  As  Tommy 
said  to  me " 

"  Tommy  said  to  you !  "  laughed  another  of  the 
girls.  "  Oh,  you  people  are  absurd  over  your  pets. 
Cats  are  all  very  well  in  their  way,  but  whilst  there 
are  dogs  and  horses " 

Jessie  felt  an  inclination  to  embrace  the  speaker 
who  had  quite  innocently  helped  her  out  of  the  hole. 
It  was  quite  evident  that  Tommy  and  Larry  were 
two  pet  cats  belonging  to  Miss  Galloway.  The 
Lionel  in  question,  whose  absence  from  Brighton — 
presumedly  at  a  show — was  evidently  a  pet  of  the 
tall  girl  with  the  very  nice  blue  eyes.  The  incident 
was  farcical  enough,  but  the  incidents  came  so  fast 
that  they  were  beginning  to  get  on  Jessie's  nerves. 

"  I'll  come  and  see  Lionel  soon,  if  I  may,"  she 
said.  '*  Is  that  Lady  Longmarsh  over  there  ?  I 
have  been  looking  for  her  all  the  evening." 

And  Jessie  managed  to  slip  away  into  the  house. 
Here  and  there  someone  or  another  smiled  at  her 
and  asked  her  questions  that  she  found  it  difficult  to 


70         THE   WEIGHT   OF  THE   CROWN 

parry,  chaff  and  badinage  that  would  have  been 
easy  to  Vera  Galloway,  though  they  were  as  Greek 
to  her  double. 

"  I  can  positively  feel  my  hair  turning  grey,"  Jessie 
said  to  herself  as  she  crept  up  the  stairs.  The 
thought  of  carrying  on  this  imposition  till  the  end 
of  the  week  was  appalling.  "  I  shall  have  to  invent 
a  bad  turn  of  neuralgia,  and  stay  in  my  bedrooni  till 
Saturday.  Vera  is  a  society  girl,  and  surely  has 
many  social  engagements,  and  I  don't  even  know 
what  her  programme  for  to-morrow  is." 

Jessie  slipped  into  the  room  where  the  king  lay. 
He  looked  grotesque  enough  in  Maxgregor's  uniform, 
and  not  in  the  least  like  a  ruler.  So  far  as  Jessie 
could  see,  the  poor  creature  looked  like  sleeping  a 
long  time  yet.  The  danger  of  collapse  was  past  for 
the  present,  but  the  deep  sleep  of  utter  intoxication 
stih1  clung  to  the  ruler  of  Asturia.  For  some  time, 
at  any  rate,  there  was  no  expectation  of  danger  in 
that  quarter.  And  there  was  always  Ronald  Hope  to 
fall  back  upon.  When  everybody  had  gone,  which 
was  not  likely  to  be  very  soon,  the  king  would  be 
smuggled  out  of  the  house.  The  Queen  of  Asturia 
had  gone  off  in  a  hurry,  but  she  was  pretty  certain 
to  send  instructions  by  somebody.  The  man  on 
the  bed  turned  and  muttered  something  in  his  sleep. 

"  Don't  let  anybody  know,"  he  said.  "  He's  at 
Charleston  Street,  No  15.  Always  manage  it  that 
way.  Give  me  some  more  of  it.  Out  of  the  other 
bottle." 

The  voice  trailed  off  in  a  murmur,  and  the  deep 
sleep  fell  again.  Jessie  crept  away  and  locked  the 
door.  Down  in  the  hall  a  great  throng  of  guests 
passed  from  the  room  into  the  garden  and  back 
again.  At  the  back  of  the  press  Jessie  caught  sight 


THE   VERY   MAN  71 

of  a  tall,  stately  figure,  with  the  light  falling  on  her 
glorious  hair  and  sparkling  on  her  diamond  tiara. 
Jessie's  heart  gave  a  great  leap ;  she  felt  that  the 
needed  aid  was  close  at  hand. 

"  Heaven  be  praised !  "  she  said.     "  The  queen 
has  returned  again.   What  does  she  know,  I  wonder  ?  " 


CHAPTER   IX 

"  PONGO  " 

THE  Queen  -of  Asturia  was  back  again  surely 
enough,  smiling  as  if  she  had  not  a  trouble 
in  the  world.  Lady  Merehaven  was  listening  to 
what  she  had  to  say. 

"  I  found  that  I  had  to  return,"  she  was  murmur- 
ing. "  I  am  searching  for  a  will-o'-the-wisp.  I  was 
told  that  I  should  find  him  at  the  Duchess  of  Nor- 
ton's, but  he  had  been  called  away  from  there. 
There  was  a  case  needing  his  urgent  attention  at 
Charing  Cross  Hospital.  I  was  told  that  subsequent 
to  that  matter  my  will-o'-the-wisp  was  coming  on 
here  positively.  Have  you  seen  Dr.  Varney  ?  " 

Lady  Ilerehaven  had  not  seen  the  distinguished 
physician,  but  he  had  certainly  promised  to  look  in 
at  Merehaven  House  in  the  course  of  the  evening. 
Despite  his  position  and  his  many  affairs,  Dr.  Varney 
was  a  man  who  prided  himself  upon  keeping  his 
social  engagements,  and  he  was  certain  to  appear. 
It  seemed  to  Jessie  that  the  queen  seemed  to  be 
relieved  about  something.  She  had  never  ceased 
to  smile,  but  there  was  an  expression  of  sudden 
fierce  gladness  in  her  eyes.  As  she  looked  up  her 
glance  took  in  Jessie.  There  was  a  quick  signal, 
the  uplifting  of  a  bouquet,  and  that  was  all. 

But  Jessie  understood  that  the  queen  wanted  to 
speak  to  her  without  delay.  The  opportunity  came 
presently,  for  Lady  Merehaven  was  called  away, 
leaving  a  pompous  old  diplomat  to  wait  on  the 

78 


"  PONGO  "  73 

queen.  It  was  an  easy  matter  to  send  him  in  quest 
of  lemonade,  and  then  as  the  bouquet  was  lifted 
again,  Jessie  crossed  over  rapidly  to  the  side  of  the 
queen. 

"  Tell  me  all  that  has  happened,'*  she  commanded 
swiftly,  fiercely  almost,  though  the  smile  never  left 
her  face.  She  might  have  been  discussing  the  most 
trivial  of  topics.  "  I  was  called  away ;  I  had  to  go. 
I  am  at  the  beck  and  call  of  people  like  a  footman." 

"  You  have  not  seen  or  heard  anything,  madame  ?  " 
Jessie  asked. 

"  Did  I  not  tell  you  so  ?  Forgive  my  temper, 
but  I  am  harassed  and  worried  to  death.  Is  every- 
thing going  all  right  ?  " 

"  Up  to  the  present,  madame,"  Jessie  proceeded 
to  explain.  "  It  was  unfortunate  that  the  blind 
in  the  room  upstairs  was  not  pulled  down.  I  had 
a  warning  about  that,  so  I  proceeded  to  the  bedroom. 
General  Maxgregor  was  giving  those  drops  to  the 
king,  out  of  the  little  bottle " 

"  Yes,  yes.  And  were  they  all  administered  ? 
Heaven  forgive  me  for  asking  the  question,  but  I 
think  that  had  I  been  in  General  Maxgregor's  place, 
I but  I  talk  nonsense.  Were  they  all ?  " 

"  Every  one  of  them.  I  administered  the  last  few 
drops  myself.  I  had  to,  for  the  simple  reason  that 
General  Maxgregor  was  wounded.  The  blind  was  up, 
and  somebody  shot  at  the  general  from  the  garden, 
from  the  high  terrace  at  the  end  of  the  garden." 

"  Ah  !  Well,  it  is  only  what  I  expected,  after  all. 
The  general — was  he  badly  hit  ?  " 

"  In  the  shoulder.  He  said  it  was  only  a  flesh 
wound,  but  evidently  he  was  in  great  pain.  You 
see,  after  that  the  general  had  to  go  away  at  once. 
At  my  suggestion  he  changed  clothes  with  the  king, 


74          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

and  I  managed  to  get  him  away,  all  staggering  and 
ill  as  he  was,  by  way  of  the  garden." 

"  You  are  a  brave  and  true  friend — God  bless  you ! 
But  there  was  the  danger  of  being  followed,  Vera." 

"  I  thought  of  that.  There  were  two  hansoms 
in  the  lane,  and  I  put  the  supposed  king  into  one 
of  them  and  gave  the  cabman  the  address  of  the 
general's  lodgings.  As  I  expected,  somebody  ap- 
peared and  attempted  to  obtain  the  use  of  the  other 
cab,  but  I  was  too  quick  for  the  foe.  I  gave  the 
cabman  money  and  told  him  to  drive  on  as  if  he 
carried  a  fare,  and  the  spy  was  baffled." 

"  Wonderful !  I  shall  never  forget  your  service 
to  me  and  to  Asturia.  What  was  the  man  like 
who " 

"  It  was  not  a  man  at  all,  madame,"  Jessie  pro- 
ceeded to  explain.  "  It  was  a  woman.  She  was 
tall  and  fair,  and  exceedingly  beautiful.  I  should 
not  have  any  difficulty  in  recognizing  her  again." 

The  queen  expressed  her  satisfaction,  nor  did 
she  seem  in  the  least  surprised  to  find  that  the  spy 
was  a  woman. 

"  I  am  very  sorry  about  the  accident  to  the 
general,"  she  said  thoughtfully.  "  But  it  only 
tends  to  show  you  what  we  have  to  guard  against. 
I  must  go  to  the  general  as  soon  as  possible. 
He  may  be  very  ill." 

"  I  have  already  sent,"  Jessie  said.  "  To  a  great 
extent  I  had  to  confide  in  somebody.  I  told  my 
friend  Captain  Ronald  Hope  all  that  was  necessary, 
and  he  is  on  his  way  to  the  general's  now.  Captain 
Hope  is  also  a  great  friend  of  General  Maxgregor, 
and  is,  I  know,  very  anxious  to  find  a  post  in  the 
Asturian  army.  Perhaps  your  majesty  may  know 
him?" 


"  PONGO  "  75 

The  queen  smiled  and  nodded.  Evidently  the 
name  of  Ronald  was  quite  familiar  to  her.  Then 
she  went  on  to  ask  after  the  health  of  the  king. 
Her  face  changed  to  a  bitter  smile  as  Jessie  proceeded 
to  say  what  she  had  done  in  that  direction. 

"  I  shall  know  how  to  act  in  the  future,"  the 
queen  said,  "  once  the  crisis  is  over.  But  there  are 
people  waiting  to  talk  to  me,  and  who  are  wondering 
why  I  am  wasting  my  time  on  a  mere  girl  like  you 
when  I  have  the  privilege  of  their  society.  If  they 
only  knew ! " 

Jessie  passed  on,  feeling  that  she  was  dismissed 
for  the  present.  She  wandered  aimlessly  into  the 
garden  ;  there  was  a  good  deal  of  noise  and  laughter 
going  on  behind  the  terrace.  The  little  door  leading 
to  the  lane  was  open,  and  from  the  far  side  came  the 
hiss  of  a  motor. 

"  Have  you  come  to  join  the  fun,  Vera  ?  "  a  girl 
who  was  a  total  stranger  to  Jessie  asked.  "We 
are  having  larks  on  Pongo's  motor-car.  But  now 
that  you  have  come  Pongo  will  have  eyes  for  nobody 
else." 

Jessie  wondered  who  Pongo  was,  and  whether 
any  tender  passages  had  passed  between  him  and 
Miss  Galloway.  Possibly  not,  for  Vera  was  not 
the  class  of  girl  who  made  herself  a  familiar  footing 
with  the  type  of  young  man  who  allows  himself  to 
be  christened  by  so  characteristic  a  name. 

"  Doin'  it  for  a  charity,"  a  typical  Johnny  drawled 
as  the  car  pulled  up.  Jessie  recognized  the  Bond 
Street  type  of  rich  fool  who  is  flattered  for  his 
money.  "  Get  in,  Miss  Vera.  Take  you  as  far  as 
Piccadilly  and  back  for  a  shilling.  Society  for 
Lost  Dogs,  you  know." 

Jessie  promptly  accepted  the  offer,  for  a  wild, 


76         THE   WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

brilliant  scheme  had  come  into  her  head.  The 
motor  flashed  along  before  there  was  time  for  any- 
body else  to  get  in. 

"  Not  as  far  as  Piccadilly,"  Jessie  said.  "  Only 
to  the  end  of  the  lane  and  back.  I  can't  stay  at 
present,  Pongo.  But  if  I  come  back  presently,  do 
you  think  you  could  get  rid  of  the  others  and  take 
me  as  far  as  Charing  Cross  Hospital  ?  It's  for  the 
sake  of  a  bet,  you  know." 

Pongo,  whose  other  name  Jessie  had  not  the 
slightest  idea  of,  grinned  with  pleasure.  The  more 
ridiculous  the  thing,  the  more  it  appealed  to  his 
peculiar  nature.  He  would  keep  his  car  at  the  end 
of  the  Jane  and  wait  for  Miss  Galloway  an  hour  if 
necessary.  The  mention  of  his  pet  name  and  the 
flash  from  Jessie's  eyes  had  utterly  overcome  him. 

"Anything  you  like,"  he  said.  "Streets  quiet, 
and  all  that ;  take  you  to  Charing  Cross  and  back 
before  you  could  say  Jack  Robinson,  don't  you 
know.  Only  I'd  like  to  make  the  journey  slow, 
don't  you  know." 

Jessie  laughed  a  response  to  the  meaningless 
chatter  of  her  companion.  She  was  going  to  do  a 
foolish  and  most  certainly  a  desperate  thing,  but 
there  was  no  help  for  it.  Back  in  the  house  again 
she  could  see  a  little  man  with  a  fine  head  and  a 
grey  beard  talking  to  the  queen.  There  was  no 
need  to  tell  Jessie  that  this  was  Doctor  Varney, 
for  she  knew  the  great  physician  well  by  sight.  She 
was  going  to  speak  to  him  presently  and  get  an 
order,  late  as  it  was,  for  her  to  see  a  patient  in  the 
hospital.  She  knew  quite  well  that  it  was  no  use  her 
trying  to  get  into  the  big  establishment  at  that  hour 
without  a  special  permit,  and  it  would  be  no  fault  of 
hers  if  that  permit  did  not  emanate  from  Dr.  Varney. 


"  PONGO  "  77 

The  little  man's  powerful  voice  boomed  out,  but 
ever  and  again  it  was  dropped  at  some  quiet  ques- 
tion from  the  queen.  Presently  the  doctor  moved 
on  in  the  direction  of  Jessie.  She  assumed  that  he 
would  probably  know  Miss  Vera  Galloway  quite 
well,  and  she  made  up  her  mind  to  address  him  as 
a  friend  of  the  family.  But  there  were  other  people 
first  who  claimed  the  doctor's  attention — a  Cabinet 
Minister,  who  had  a  question  or  two  to  put  on  the 
score  of  his  personal  health,  so  that  it  was  some 
little  time  before  Jessie  obtained  her  chance.  Even 
then  the  appearance  of  Lady  Merehaven  delayed 
the  operation. 

"  Positively,  my  dear  lady,  I  must  apologize  for 
being  so  late,"  the  doctor  said.  "  But  there  was 
a  little  matter  claiming  my  attention  at  Charing 
Cross  Hospital,  an  operation  that  one  does  not  get 
every  day,  and  one  that  would  brook  no  delay.  But 
I  got  here  as  soon  as  possible.  Sad  thing  about 
your  niece." 

"  Why,  what  is  the  matter  with  my  niece  ?  " 
Lady  Merehaven  demanded.  "  My  niece !  " 

The  doctor  looked  as  surprised  as  his  hostess. 
There  was  a  grave  expression  on  his  fine  face. 

"Miss  Vera  Galloway,"  he  said.  "Managed  to 
get  run  over  by  a  cab.  But  you  must  know  all  about 
that.  Nothing  serious,  really ;  but  the  loss  of  her 
pleasant  face  here,  and  the  knowledge  that  she  takes 
no  part  in  the  festivities  of  the  evening,  is  rather 
distressing.  But  she  seems  quite  cheerful." 

"  Dr.  Varney,"  Lady  Merehaven  cried,  "  posi- 
tively, I  know  nothing  of  what  you  are  talking  about." 

Jessie  crept  away  and  hid  herself  discreetly 
behind  one  of  the  big  palms  in  the  hall.  What  was 
coming  now  ? 


CHAPTER  X 

A  FRIEND  AT  COURT 

JESSIE'S  prevailing  feeling  was  not  one  of  fear  ; 
rather  was  she  moved  by  an  intense,  overpower- 
ing curiosity.  She  lingered  behind  the  palm  wonder- 
ing what  was  going  to  happen  next.  She  could  see 
between  the  graceful  hanging  leaves  the  puzzled 
expression  on  Lady  Merehaven's  face. 

"  But,  my  dear  doctor,  what  you  say  is  absurd,*' 
she  was  saying.  "  I  saw  Vera  pass  not  five  minutes 
ago.  And  if  she  had  met  with  an  accident  and  been 

conveyed  to  Charing  Cross  Hospital,  why But 

the  thing  is  out  of  the  question." 

"  And  yet  I  feel  perfectly  certain  of  my  facts," 
Dr.  Varney  persisted.  "  It  is  true  that  I  was  in  a 
hurry,  and  that  the  young  lady  I  allude  to  was  fast 
asleep — at  any  rate,  nearly  asleep.  My  dear  lady, 
seeing  that  I  was  present  at  Vera's  birth,  and  that 
all  these  years  I  have  known  her  so  intimately " 

Jessie  came  leisurely  into  sight.  It  was  im- 
possible to  let  this  matter  go  any  further.  By  chance 
the  doctor  had  learnt  something,  and  his  mouth 
must  be  closed  if  possible.  She  came  along  with  a 
smile  and  a  hand  outstretched. 

"  You  are  very  late,  doctor,"  she  said.  "  I 
have  been  looking  forward  to  a  chat  with  you." 

For  once  in  his  life  Dr.  Varney  was  genuinely 
astonished.  He  looked  at  Jessie  in  a  vague,  dreamy 
kind  of  way,  though  fortunately  Lady  Merehaven  did 
not  glance  up  and  notice  his  face. 

T8 


A   FRIEND   AT   COURT  79 

"  There,  you  unbelieving  man !  "  she  cried.  "  Vera 
does  not  look  as  if  she  had  met  with  anything  serious 
in  the  way  of  an  accident." 

Dr.  Varney  pulled  himself  together  promptly  and 
took  Jessie's  outstretched  hand.  There  was  a 
twinkle  in  his  shrewd  eyes  as  he  held  the  girl's 
fingers. 

"  Extraordinary  mistake  of  mine,  wasn't  it  ?  " 
he  said.  "  Could  have  sworn  that  I  saw  you  lying 
half  asleep  in  one  of  the  wards  of  Charing  Cross 
Hospital.  Case  of  shock  and  injured  ankle. 
People  said  the  patient  called  herself  Harcourt,  but 
could  not  recollect  her  address.  Young  girls  have 
such  queer  escapades  nowadays  that " 

"  But  surely  you  know  me  better  than  that  ?  " 
Jessie  forced  herself  to  say. 

"  I'm  not  quite  so  sure  that  I  do,"  Varney 
chuckled.  "  However,  the  girl  was  very  like  you. 
Come  and  give  me  a  sandwich  and  a  glass  of  claret, 
and  we'll  talk  of  old  times." 

Jessie  expressed  herself  as  delighted,  but  inwardly 
she  was  praying  for  some  diversion.  She  was 
quite  convinced  that  the  doctor  was  by  no  means 
satisfied ;  she  could  see  that  he  was  a  shrewd,  clever 
man  of  the  world,  and  that  he  meant  to  question  her 
adroitly.  If  once  the  conversation  drifted  to  old 
times,  she  felt  that  she  must  be  discovered. 

But  Varney  ate  his  sandwich  and  sipped  his  claret 
and  water  with  no  reference  to  the  past.  He  looked 
at  Jessie  once  or  twice  in  an  abstracted  kind  of  way. 
She  felt  that  she  must  talk,  that  she  must  say  some- 
thing to  start  a  safe  conversation. 

"  What  are  you  thinking  about,  doctor  ?  "  she 
asked. 

"  I  am  thinking,"  was  the  startling  reply,  "  that 


8o          THE   WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

you  are  one  of  the  finest  actresses  I  have  ever  seen. 
The  stage  is  the  poorer  for  your  absence." 

Jessie's  heart  sank  within  her ;  there  was  no  mis- 
taking the  dry  significance  of  the  speech.  This  man 
was  sure  of  his  ground;  he  had  found  her  out.  And 
yet  there  was  a  kindly  look  on  his  face,  not  as  if  he 
were  dealing  with  an  impostor  at  all. 

"  What  do  you  mean  ?  "  Jessie  asked.  "  I  do  not 
in  the  least  understand  you." 

"  Oh  yes,  you  do  ;  you  understand  me  perfectly 
well.  I  don't  know  who  you  are,  but  I  most  assuredly 
know  who  you  are  not,  and  that  is  Vera  Galloway. 
Mind,  I  am  not  accusing  you  of  being  a  type  of  the 
mere  vulgar  impostor.  I  would  trust  you  against 
the  world." 

"  It  is  very  good  of  you  to  say  so,"  Jessie  gasped. 
"  You  are  not  going  to  assume  that — that ' 

"  That  you  are  here  for  any  evil  purpose  ?  With 
a  face  like  yours  the  idea  is  impossible.  As  I 
was  passing  through  the  wards  of  the  hospital 
just  now,  to  my  surprise  I  saw  Vera  Galloway 
there.  I  knew  her  not  only  by  her  face  and  figure, 
but  by  the  dimples  round  her  wrists.  Now  your 
wrists  are  very  long  and  slender,  and  you  have 
no  dimples  at  all.  Many  men  would  have  let  out 
the  whole  thing,  but  not  so  me.  I  find  that  the 
patient  has  given  the  name  of  Harcourt,  and  that  she 
has  forgotten  her  address.  Forgive  me  if  I  scented 
a  scandal.  That  is  why  I  led  up  so  carefully  to 
Lady  Merehaven.  But  when  you  came  on  the 
scene  I  guessed  exactly  what  had  happened.  You 
were  engaged  to  play  Vera's  part  when  she  was  up 
to  something  elsewhere.  I  confess  I  am  not  alto- 
gether without  sorrow  that  so  charming  a  girl " 

"  Indeed,  I  am  quite  sure  that  there  was  nothing 


A   FRIEND   AT   COURT  81 

really  wrong,"  Jessie  cried.  "  From  what  I  have 
seen  of  Miss  Galloway  I  am  quite  sure  that  she  is 
not  that  class  of  girl.  But  for  this  unfortunate 
accident.  .  .  .  Dr.  Varney,  you  will  not  betray  me  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  won't,"  Varney  cried,  "  though  I  am  no 
doubt  an  old  fool  for  my  pains.  It's  very  lucky 
that  a  clear  head  like  mine  has  been  imported  into 
the  business.  Now,  in  the  first  place,  tell  me  who 
you  are  and  what  yon  are  doing  here.  I  know  you 
will  be  candid." 

"  I  will  teD  you  everything,"  Jessie  said.  She 
was  utterly  thankful  that  the  case  was  no  worse. 
"  My  name  is  Jessie  Harcourt,  and  up  to  a  few  hours 
ago  I  was  a  shop-girl  in  Bond  Street." 

"  That  sounds  quite  romantic.  A  shop-girl  in 
Bond  Street  and  a  lady  by  birth  and  breeding, 
too.  Which  branch  of  the  family  do  you  belong 
to?" 

"  The  Kent  Harcourts.  My  father  was  Colonel 
Harcourt,  of  the  Royal  Galways." 

"  Really  now  !  "  Varney  exclaimed.  "  I  knew  your 
father  quite  well  years  ago.  I  was  an  army  doctor 
myself  for  a  long  time.  Your  father  was  an  ex- 
travagant man,  my  dear — always  was.  And  he 
left  you  poor  ?  " 

"  He  left  my  sister  and  myself  penniless.  We 
were  fit  for  nothing  either.  And  that  is  why  I 
found  my  way  into  a  Bond  Street  shop.  I  was 
discharged  because  I  was  supposed  to  have  flirted 
with  the  son  of  a  customer.  My  indignant  protest 
that  the  cowardly  cad  tried  to  kiss  me  counted  for 
nothing.  As  the  complaining  customer  was  the 
Princess  Mazaroff " 

"  And  her  son  the  culprit,"  Varney  said,  with  a 
queer  gleam  in  his  eyes.  "  My  dear  child,  you  have 

F 


82          THE   WEIGHT   OF  THE   CROWN 

done  well  to  confide  in  me.  But  go  on,  tell  me 
everything." 

Jessie  proceeded  to  relate  her  story  at  length,  from 
the  time  that  she  met  Vera  Galloway  down  to  the 
existing  moment.  And  the  romantic  side  of  the 
royal  story  was  not  suppressed.  Nor  could  Jessie 
feel  that  she  had  not  an  interested  listener. 

"  This  is  one  of  the  most  remarkable  stories  that 
I  have  ever  heard,"  Varney  said.  "  And  as  a  doctor 
in  a  large  way  of  practice,  I  have  heard  some  sin- 
gular ones.  I  fancy  that  I  can  see  my  way  clear 
now.  And  I  know  what  you  don't  know — that 
Vera  is  taking  a  desperate  step  for  the  sake  of  a 
man  she  loves.  It  is  quite  plain  to  me  why  you  are 
here.  Well,  well!  I  am  doing  quite  wrong,  but  I 
am  going  to  keep  your  secret." 

"  That  is  indeed  good  of  you,"  Jessie  said  grate- 
fully. "But  there  is  more  to  be  done.  My  dear 
doctor,  I  can  see  my  way  to  important  information 
without  which  it  is  impossible  for  me  to  sustain 
my  present  role  until  Miss  Galloway  comes  home 
again.  It  is  imperative  that  I  should  have  a  few 
words  with  her.  You  can  give  me  a  permit  for  the 
hospital  authorities.  After  that  the  rest  is  easy." 

"  I  quite  see  your  point,"  Varney  said  thought- 
fully. "  You  are  as  clever  as  you  are  courageous. 
But  how  are  you  going  to  manage  this  without  being 
missed  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  to  make  use  of  another,"  Jessie 
laughed.  All  her  courage  had  come  back  to  her 
now.  "  I  am  going  to  make  use  of  a  gentleman 
known  as  Pongo.  He  is  supposed  to  be  very  fond 
of  me  as  Vera  Galloway.  He  does  not  seem  to  be  a 
very  harmful  individual." 

"  Honourable  George  Lascelles,"  Varney  muttered. 


A   FRIEND   AT   COURT  83 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  of  good  in  Pongo,  though  he 
assumes  the  role  of  an  ass  in  society.  Once  he 
marries  and  settles  down  he  will  be  quite  different. 
But  how  do  you  propose  to  enlist  him  in  the 
service  ? " 

Jessie  proceeded  to  explain  the  silly  business  of 
the  motor-car  in  the  lane  behind  the  house. 

"  I  shall  get  him  to  take  me  to  Charing  Cross 
Hospital,"  she  said.  "You  may  be  quite  certain 
that  Vera  Galloway  is  not  asleep.  A  few  minutes 
with  her  will  be  quite  enough  for  my  purpose.  And 
I  shall  be  back  again  before  I  am  missed.  Do 
you  approve  ?  " 

"  I  have  to  whether  I  like  it  or  not,"  Varney 
grumbled,  "  though  this  is  a  nice  predicament  for  a 
man  in  my  position  and  my  time  of  life.  I'll  go  as 
far  as  the  library  and  scribble  out  that  permit, 
though  what  the  College  of  Physicians  would  say  if 
they  only  knew " 

And  Varney  strode  off  muttering  as  he  went.  But 
the  twinkle  was  in  his  eyes  still. 


CHAPTER   XI 

IN  THE   GARDEN 

JESSIE  slipped  out  into  the  garden  and  along 
to  the  back  of  the  terrace.  The  absurd 
nonsense  of  the  motor-car  was  still  going  on  in  the 
lane.  It  was  late  now,  and  no  chance  of  a  crowd 
gathering  there.  The  Honourable  George  clam- 
oured for  Jessie's  company,  and  asked  where  she 
had  been.  But  she  smilingly  shook  her  head,  and 
declared  that  she  was  not  ready  ;  and,  besides,  there 
were  many  before  her. 

"  I  shall  be  back  again  practically  in  a  quarter 
of  an  hour,"  she  said.  "  1  can't  stir  till  then." 

So  far  everything  promised  well.  Jessie  hurried 
back  to  the  place  where  she  had  left  Varney.  He 
was  waiting  there  with  half  a  sheet  of  note  paper 
in  his  hand. 

"  There  is  the  permit,"  he  said.  You  have  only 
to  show  it  to  anybody  in  authority  and  there  will 
be  no  more  difficulty.  Hullo!  what  is  all  this 
about  ?  " 

There  was  a  disturbance  in  the  hall — the  figure  of  a 
French  maid  talking  volubly  in  two  languages  at  once ; 
behind  her  a  footman,  accompanied  by  a  man  who 
was  unmistakably  a  plain-clothes  detective,  and 
behind  him  the  figure  of  a  policeman,  his  helmet 
towering  above  the  heads  of  the  guests. 

"  Somebody  asking  for  the  Countess  Saens,"  a 
guest  replied  to  a  question  of  Varney 's.  "  As  far 
as  I  can  gather,  there  has  been  a  burglary  at  the 

84 


IN   THE   GARDEN  85 

house  of  the  countess,  and  her  maid  seems  to  know 
something  about  it.  But  we  shall  know  presently. 
Here  comes  the  countess." 

The  Countess  Saens  came  smilingly  into  the  hall, 
a  strikingly  handsome  figure  in  yellow  satin.  Jessie 
did  not  fail  to  notice  her  dark,  piercing  eyes. 

"  Who  is  she  ?  "  she  asked  Varney  in  a  whisper. 
"  Did  you  ever  see  such  black  eyes  ?  " 

"  Don't  know,"  the  doctor  replied.  "  Sort  of 
comet  of  a  season.  Mysterious  antecedents,  and  all 
that,  but  possesses  plenty  of  money,  gives  the 
most  splendid  entertainments,  and  goes  everywhere. 
I  understand  that  she  is  the  morganatic  wife  of  one 
of  the  Russian  grand  dukes." 

At  any  rate,  the  woman  looked  a  lady  to  her 
finger  tips,  as  Jessie  was  bound  to  admit.  She 
came  with  an  easy  smile  into  the  little  group,  and 
immediately  her  magnetic  presence  seemed  to  rivet 
all  attention.  The  frightened  maid  ceased  to  scold 
in  her  polyglot  way  and  grew  coherent. 

"  Now  let  us  get  to  the  bottom  of  this  business," 
the  countess  said  gaily.  "  There  has  been  a  bur- 
glary at  my  house.  Where  did  it  take  place,  and 
what  has  been  removed  from  the  premises  ?  " 

"  It  was  in  your  room,  madame,"  the  maid  said — 
"  in  your  dressing-room.  I  was  going  up  to  put  every- 
thing right  for  the  night  and  I  saw  the  thief  there.'* 

"  Would  you  recognize  him  again,  Annette  ?  " 
the  countess  asked. 

"  Pardon  me,  but  it  was  not  a  man  ;  it  was  a 
woman.  And  she  had  opened  the  drawers  of  your 
dressing  table — she  had  papers  in  her  hands.  I 
came  upon  her  suddenly,  and  she  heard  me.  Then 
she  caught  me  by  the  throat  and  half  strangled  me. 
Before  I  could  recover  my  senses  she  had  fled  down 


86          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

the  stairs  and  out  of  the  house.  The  hall  porter  took 
her  for  a  friend  of  yours,  and  did  not  stop  her.  Then 
I  suppose  that  my  feelings  overcame  me,  and " 

"  And  you  went  off  in  hysterics,"  the  countess 
said  with  a  contemptuous  smile.  "  So  long  as  you 
did  not  lose  the  papers " 

"  But,  madame,  the  papers  are  gone !  The  second 
drawer  on  the  left-hand  side  is  empty." 

Jessie  saw  the  dark  eyes  blaze  and  the  stern  face  of 
the  countess  stiffen  with  fury.  It  was  only  for  a 
moment,  and  then  the  face  smiled  once  more.  But 
that  flashing  insight  was  a  revelation  to  Jessie. 

"  I  hope  you  will  be  able  to  recognize  the  woman 
again,"  the  countess  said.  "  Shall  you  ?  Speak, 
you  idiot !  " 

For  the  maid's  gaze  had  suddenly  become  riveted 
on  Jessie.  The  sight  of  her  face  seemed  to  fascinate 
the  little  Frenchwoman.  It  was  some  minutes 
before  she  found  words  to  express  her  thoughts. 

"  But  behind,"  she  said,  pointing  a  forefinger  at 
Jessie  as  if  she  had  been  some  striking  picture. 
"  Behind,  she  is  there.  Not  dressed  like  that,  but 
in  plain  black ;  but  she  stole  those  papers.  I  can 
feel  the  touch  of  her  fingers  on  my  throat  at  this 
moment.  There  is  the  culprit,  voild  !  " 

"  Oh,  this  is  ridiculous ! "  the  countess  cried. 
"  How  long  since  this  has  happened  ?  " 

"  It  is  but  twenty  minutes  ago,"  Annette  said. 
"Not  more  than  half  an  hour,  and  behold  the 
thief " 

"  Behold  the  congenital  idiot,"  the  countess 
laughed.  "  Miss  Galloway  has  not  been  out  of  my 
sight  save  for  a  few  minutes  for  the  last  hour. 
Let  the  police  find  out  what  they  can,  and  take  that 
poor  creature  home  and  put  ice  on  her  head.  .  .  . 


IN   THE   GARDEN  87 

Perhaps  I  had  better  go  along.  It  is  a  perfect  nuis- 
ance, but  those  papers  were  important.  Will  one 
of  you  call  my  carriage  ?  " 

The  countess  departed  presently,  smiling  gaily. 
But  Jessie  had  not  forgotten  that  flashing  eye  and 
the  expression  on  her  features.  She  turned  eagerly 
to  Varney. 

"  Very  strange,  is  it  not  ?  "  she  asked.  "  Can 
you  see  what  it  all  means  ?  " 

"  I  can  see  perfectly  well,"  Varney  said  coldly. 
"  And  I  more  or  less  hold  the  key  to  the  situation. 
Let  us  assume  for  the  moment  that  the  countess  is  a 
spy  and  an  intriguer.  She  has  certain  documents 
that  somebody  else  badly  wants.  Somebody  else 
succeeds  in  getting  those  papers  by  force." 

"  But  why  did  the  maid,  Annette,  pitch  upon 
me  ?  "  Jessie  asked. 

"  Because  you  were  the  image  of  the  thief," 
Varney  whispered.  "  Only  she  was  dressed  in  black. 
The  maid  was  not  dreaming;  she  had  more  wits 
about  her  than  we  imagine.  Unless  I  am  greatly 
mistaken,  the  thief  who  stole  those  papers  was 
no  one  else  than  Vera  Galloway." 

The  logic  was  so  forcible  and  striking  that  Jessie 
could  only  stand  silent  before  it.  The  French  maid 
had  given  Varney  an  important  clue,  though  the 
others  had  been  blind  to  it.  And  Vera  had  not  dis- 
guised at  the  beginning  of  the  adventure  that  she 
was  engaged  upon  a  desperate  errand  for  the  sake 
of  the  man  she  loved,  or,  at  any  rate,  for  one  who  was 
very  dear  to  her.  It  had  been  a  bold  and  daring 
thing  to  do,  and  Jessie's  admiration  was  moved. 
She  hoped  from  the  bottom  of  her  heart  that  Vera 
had  the  papers. 

"  You  will  know  before  very  long,"  Varney  said,  as 


88          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

if  reading  her  thoughts,  "  whether  Vera  Galloway  has 
been  successful  or  not.  There  is  no  question  what- 
ever in  my  mind  that  Vera  was  the  culprit.  I  will 
give  you  a  hint  as  to  why  she  has  acted  in  this  way 
presently.  Get  a  thick  black  wrap  of  some  kind 
and  conceal  it  as  closely  as  possible.  When  you  are 
going  through  the  streets  of  London  you  must  have 
something  over  your  head." 

"  If  I  only  knew  where  to  put  my  hand  on  a  wrap 
of  that  description  !  "  Jessie  said  helplessly. 

"  Time  is  short,  and  bold  measures  are  necessary," 
Varney  said  coolly.  "  There  are  heaps  of  wraps  in 
the  vestibule,  and  I  should  take  the  first  that  came 
to  hand.  If  the  owner  wants  it  in  the  meantime  it 
will  be  assumed  that  it  has  been  taken  by  mistake." 

Jessie  hesitated  no  longer.  She  chose  a  thick 
black  cloak  and  hood  arrangement  that  folded  into 
very  little  space,  and  then  she  squeezed  it  under  her 
arm.  Then  she  strolled  out  into  the  garden.  It  was 
very  still  and  warm.  London  was  growing  quiet, 
so  that  the  shreiks  of  the  late  newsboys  with  the 
evening  scare  could  be  distinctly  heard  there. 
Varney  laid  his  hand  on  Jessie's  arm.  He  had 
grown  very  grave  and  impressive.  The  yelling  news- 
boys were  growing  gradually  nearer. 

"  Listen,  and  tell  me  what  they  are  saying," 
Varney  whispered. 

Impressed  by  the  sudden  gravity  of  her  com- 
panion's manner,  Jessie  gave  all  her  ears  to  the  call. 

"  Late  Special !  Startling  case  at  the  War  Office ! 
Suicide  of  Captain  Lancing,  and  flight  of  Mr.  Charles 
Maxwell!  Disappearance  of  official  documents! 
Special ! " 

"  I  hear,"  Jessie  said ;  "  but  I  am  afraid  that 
I  don't  understand  quite." 


IN   THE   GARDEN  89 

"  Well,  there  has  been  a  scandal  at  the  War  Office. 
One  or  two  officials  there  have  been  accused 
of  selling  information  to  foreign  Governments.  I 
heard  rumours  especially  with  regard  to  Asturian 
affairs.  Late  to-night  Captain  Lancing  shot  him- 
self in  the  smoking-room  of  his  club.  They  took 
him  to  Charing  Cross,  and  as  I  happened  to  look  into 
the  club  a  little  later  I  followed  on  to  the  hospital 
to  see  what  I  could  do.  But  I  was  too  late,  for  the 
poor  fellow  was  dead.  Now  do  you  see  how  it  was 
that  I  came  to  see  Vera  Galloway  ?  " 

Jessie  nodded ;  she  did  not  quite  understand  the 
problem  yet.  What  had  this  War  Office  business  to 
do  with  Vera  Galloway  and  her  dangerous  and 
desperate  enterprise  ?  She  looked  inquiringly  at 
her  companion. 

"  We  had  better  get  along,"  he  said.  "I  see 
Pongo  is  waiting  for  you.  Tuck  that  wrap  a  little 
closer  under  your  arm  so  that  it  may  not  be  seen. 
And  as  soon  as  you  get  back  come  to  me  and  let  me 
know  exactly  what  has  happened.  I  ought  to  be 
ashamed  of  myself.  I  ought  to  lay  all  the  facts  of 
this  case  before  my  charming  hostess ;  but  there  are 
events  here  beyond  the  usual  society  tenets.  My 
dear  child,  don't  you  know  who  the  Charles  Maxwell 
is  whose  name  those  boys  are  yelling  ?  Does  not 
the  name  seem  familiar  to  you  ?  Come,  you  are 
quick  as  a  rule." 

"  Oh,  yes,"  Jessie  gasped.  "  That  was  the  name 
that  Prince  Mazaroff  mentioned.  Dr.  Varney,  it 
is  the  man  to  whom  Vera  Galloway  is  engaged,  or 
practically  engaged.  What  a  dreadful  business 
altogether." 

"  Yes,"  Varney  said  curtly,"  the  plot  is  thickening. 
Now  for  the  motor-car." 


CHAPTER   XII 

A   PRODIGAL  SON 

LOTH  as  he  might  have  been  inclined  to  admit 
it,  Dr.  Varney  was  by  no  means  ill-pleased 
with  his  share  of  the  adventure.  He  felt  that  a  man 
like  himself,  who  knew  everything,  would  be  decidedly 
useful.  And  how  much  he  really  did  know  Jessie 
would  have  been  startled  to  know.  For  here  was  a 
man  who  had  a  great  practice  amongst  politicians, 
and  statesmen  especially.  He  walked  quietly  back 
to  the  house  now  and  entered  the  salon  as  if 
looking  for  somebody.  His  shrewd  face  was  grave 
and  thoughtful.  He  found  his  man  at  last — a  tall, 
grizzled  man,  who  bore  some  kind  of  likeness  to  a 
greyhound.  He  was  in  a  measure  a  greyhound,  for 
he  had  been  a  queen's  messenger  for  many  years. 

"  I  thought  I  should  find  you  about  somewhere," 
the  doctor  said.  "  I  want  a  few  words  with  you, 
Lechmere.  Let  us  go  into  the  garden  and  smoke  a 
cigarette." 

"  Always  delighted  to  chat  with  you,  Varney," 
Lechmere  said.  "  Come  along.  Now,  what  is  it  ?  " 

"  Re  the  Countess  Saens,"  Varney  said.  "  You 
know  the  woman  I  mean  ?  " 

"  Certainly  I  do.  Lives  in  a  big  house  in  Con- 
naught  Crescent.  Not  her  own  house,  by  the  way. 
Dresses  magnificently,  gives  wonderful  parties,  and 
always  has  the  last  new  thing.  Handsome  woman, 
too,  and  goes  everywhere.  But  nobody  knows  any- 
thing about  her." 

BO 


A   PRODIGAL   SON  91 

"  I  came  to  you  for  a  little  information  on  the 
point,  Lechmere." 

"  Well,  as  a  matter  of  fact  I  can  give  it  to  you, 
Varney.  There  are  very  few  of  the  foreign  colony 
in  London  whose  history  I  haven't  ready  for 
docketing.  Many  a  useful  hint  have  I  given  the 
Foreign  Office  and  Scotland  Yard.  Ever  hear  of 
Saul  Marx,  the  famous  cosmopolitan  spy — I  mean 
the  man  who  saved  that  war  between  France  and 
Germany  ?  " 

"  Of  course  I  have  heard  of  Marx.  Who  hasn't  ? 
But  what  has  that  to  do  with  the  business  ?  " 

"  Well,  he  told  me  all  about  the  charming  countess. 
She  began  life  in  Warsaw  in  a  company  of  strolling 
players.  Afterwards  she  married  one  of  the  most 
noted  scamps  in  Paris,  who  wanted  a  pretty  wife  as  a 
pawn  in  some  game  of  his.  The  fellow  ill-treated 
her  horribly,  but  he  taught  her  everything  in  the  way 
of  the  predatory  life  that  was  to  be  learnt.  Finally, 
the  husband  died  under  very  strange  circumstances, 
and  between  ourselves,  Marx  says  that  the  woman 
murdered  him.  After  that  she  narrowly  escaped  a 
long  term  of  imprisonment  over  the  Malcolm-Sin 
diamond  business,  and  then  for  a  long  time  nothing 
was  heard  of  her  till  she  turned  up  as  Vera  Olpheut, 
the  famous  anarchist  speaker.  She  was  expelled 
from  Russia,  which  was  all  a  blind,  seeing  that  she 
is  one  of  the  cleverest  spies  that  the  Russian  police 
ever  employed.  Her  ladyship  is  after  a  very  big  game 
now,  or  she  would  not  be  spending  all  that  money. 
An  adventuress  like  that  never  pays  her  tradesmen 
as  a  rule,  but  I  know  for  a  fact  that  the  household 
bills  are  discharged  regularly  every  week." 

"  You  are  quite  sure  of  those  facts  ?  "  Varney 
asked. 


93          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  My  dear  fellow,  you  can  take  them  as  gospel. 
Marx  never  makes  a  mistake.  Why  do  you  ask  ?  " 

"  I  am  merely  a  seeker  after  information.  I 
may  be  in  the  way  of  putting  a  spoke  in  the  lady's 
wheel  a  little  later  on,  perhaps.  Have  you  heard  of 
that  business  at  the  Foreign  Office  ?  " 

"  I  heard  of  it  just  now;  in  fact,  I  looked  in  here  to 
see  if  Merehaven  could  tell  me  anything  about  it. 
How  those  newspapers  get  hold  of  these  things 
puzzles  me.  But  I  don't  suppose  it  is  true  that  poor 
old  Dick  Lancing  committed  suicide  at  his  club, 
and " 

"It's  perfectly  true,  Lechmere.  I  was  in  the 
club  directly  after,  and  I  followed  on  to  Charing 
Cross  Hospital,  only  to  find  that  I  was  too  late. 
What  you  say  about  the  newspapers  is  absolutely 
correct.  But,  unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken,  the 
newspaper  containing  the  startling  report  in  ques- 
tion will  help  me  over  this  matter.  I  am  going  to 
make  a  proposal  to  Lord  Merehaven." 

"  I've  been  trying  to  get  at  him.  But  the  Aus- 
trian Ambassador  has  held  him  fast  for  the  last 
hour." 

k'  Well,  there  is  plenty  of  time,"  Varney  went  on. 
"From what  I  can  understand  papers  of  the  utmost 
importance  have  been  stolen  from  the  Foreign 
Office,  or  they  have  been  sold  by  some  official  to 
the  foe.  On  the  face  of  it,  the  charge  points  to 
poor  Lancing ;  but  one  never  can  tell.  Those  papers 
relate  to  a  kind  of  understanding  with  Asturia, 
and  if  Russia  gets  to  know  all  about  it  then  we 
are  done.  Now,  let  me  tell  you  a  little  thing  that 
happened  to-night.  There  was  a  burglary  at 
Countess  Saens'  house,  and  the  thief  took  nothing 
but  papers.  The  thief  was  a  woman,  who  obviously 


A   PRODIGAL    SON  93 

went  to  the  countess'  for  the  very  purpose  of 
obtaining  possession  of  those  papers.  Now,  it  is  only 
a  theory  of  mine,  but  I  feel  pretty  sure  that  the 
papers  have  to  do  with  the  Foreign  Office  scandal. 
If  we  get  to  the  bottom  of  it,  we  shall  find  that  the 
countess  inspired  the  paragraph  that  the  Evening 
Mercury  had  to-night.  Do  you  happen  to  know 
anything  about  the  editor  of  that  sheet  ?  " 

"  Fellow  named  Hunt,  an  American,"  Lechmere 
replied.  "As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Mercury  is  an 
American  paper,  the  first  start  of  an  attempt  to 
capture  the  English  Press.  You  know  how  those 
fellows  boast.  I've  met  Hunt  several  times  in 
society." 

"  Did  you  ever  happen  to  meet  him  at  Countess 
Saens'  house  ?  "  Varney  asked. 

Lechmere  turned  over  the  question  before  he 
replied.  On  consideration  he  had  seen  Hunt  twice 
at  the  house  in  question.  Not  that  that  was  very 
material,  because  all  sorts  and  conditions  of  men 
flocked  to  the  countess'  evening  parties.  But 
Varney  thought  otherwise. 

"  At  any  rate,  the  fact  fits  in  well  with  my  theory,'* 
he  said.  "  I  shall  be  greatly  surprised  if  we  fail  to 
find  a  connection  between  the  countess  and  that 
sensational  story  in  to-night's  Mercury.  I  shall 
make  it  my  business  to  meet  this  man  Hunt.  Well, 
what  is  the  matter  ?  "  A  breathless  footman 
stood  before  Varney,  and  stammered  out  something 
to  the  effect  that  Lord  Merehaven  had  sent  him 
here  hot-foot  in  search  of  the  doctor.  A  gentleman 
had  been  taken  suddenly  ill.  The  rest  of  the 
guests  did  not  know  anything  about  it,  and  the 
gentleman  in  question  lay  in  a  state  of  collapse 
in  his  lordship's  study.  Would  Dr.  Varney  come 


94         THE  WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

at  once.  Varney  was  on  his  way  to  the  house  before 
the  footman  had  finished  his  halting  explanation. 

The  study  door  was  locked,  but  it  was  opened 
immediately  on  Varney  whispering  his  name.  In 
a  big  armchair  a  white-haired  man  in  evening  dress 
was  lying  back  in  a  state  of  collapse.  By  his 
side  stood  Lord  Merehaven,  looking  anxious  and 
bewildered,  whilst  Ronald  Hope  was  trying  to  force 
a  little  brandy  between  the  lips  of  the  unconscious 
figure  in  the  chair. 

"  Thank  goodness  you  have  come,  Varney ! " 
Lord  Merehaven  said  shakily.  "  It's  poor  old 
Reggie  Lancing.  He  simply  walked  into  here 
dragging  on  Hope's  arm,  and  collapsed.  He  said 
something  to  the  effect  that  his  boy  had  committed 
suicide,  and  some  rubbish  about  missing  papers. 
What  does  it  mean  ?  " 

Varney  was  too  busy  to  answer  the  question. 
He  removed  Sir  Reginald's  collar  and  turned  down 
the  neckband.  Meanwhile  the  patient  was  breath- 
ing heavily. 

"  Put  him  flat  on  the  floor,"  Varney  said.  "It's 
not  quite  so  bad  as  it  looks.  A  seizure  from  over- 
excitement,  or  something  of  that  kind.  Give  me  a 
pen  and  ink  and  paper." 

Varney  hastily  scribbled  some  formula  on  a 
sheet  of  note  paper,  and  directed  that  it  should  be 
taken  to  a  chemist  and  be  made  up  at  once.  Till 
he  could  administer  the  drug  he  could  do  nothing. 
There  was  a  wait  of  half  an  hour  before  the  footman 
returned.  Then  the  drug  was  coaxed  between  the 
stricken  man's  teeth,  and  presently  he  opened  his 
eyes  once  more.  He  was  terribly  white  and  shaky, 
and  he  seemed  to  have  some  difficulty  in  getting 
out  his  words. 


"Ronald  Hope  was   trying   to  force  a   little  brandy   between   the 

lips" 


The  Weight   of  the  Crown. — Page  94 


A   PRODIGAL   SON  95 

"  It's  the  disgrace,  Merehaven,"  he  said — "  the 
dreadful  disgrace.  To  think  that  a  son  of  mine 
could  have  been  guilty  of  such  a  thing!  I  would 
not  have  believed  it;  it  came  to  me  quite  as  a 
shock — that  paragraph  in  the  late  Mercury.  I 
went  to  look  for  my  son  at  once,  but  he  had  paid 
the  penalty  already.  He  had  shot  himself,  Mere- 
haven — shot  himself — shot  himself." 

The  old  man  repeated  the  last  words  again  and 
again  in  a  feeble  kind  of  way.  Lord  Merehaven 
was  sympathetic  enough,  but  utterly  puzzled. 
He  looked  at  the  other  and  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  Is  this  a  mere  delusion  ?  "  he  asked.  "  You 
don't  mean  to  say  that  Asturia  business " 

The  speaker  paused,  conscious  that  he  was 
perhaps  saying  too  much.  Varney  hastened  to 
explain,  to  Merehaven's  horror  and  astonishment. 
Positively,  this  was  the  first  that  he  had  heard  of 
it.  And  if  Captain  Lancing  had  shot  himself  that 
was  proof  positive. 

"  Good  heavens !  what  a  terrible  business  alto- 
gether!" Lord  Merehaven  cried.  "And  the  mis- 
chief that  may  have  been  done  here!  I  must  see 
the  King  of  Asturia  at  once,  late  as  it  is,  though 
goodness  knows  where  I  am  to  look,  seeing  that  the 
king  is " 

The  speaker  paused,  and  Ronald  Hope  took  up 
the  thread  of  the  conversation. 

"It  may  be  possible,  my  lord,"  he  said,  " that 
his  majesty  is  nearer  at  hand  than  you  suppose." 


T 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE   MODERN   JOURNALIST 

I  HE  old  diplomatist  looked  coldly  and  sus- 
piciously at  the  speaker.  It  was  hardly  the 
way  for  a  young  man  to  address  a  Cabinet  Minister, 
and  one  who,  moreover,  was  Secretary  of  State  for 
Foreign  Affairs.  Varney  saw  what  was  passing 
through  Lord  Merehaven's  mind  and  promptly 
interfered. 

"  For  heaven's  sake,  don't  stand  on  ceremony ! " 
he  said.  "  This  is  an  exceedingly  serious  matter. 
Certain  important  papers  are  missing  from  the 
Foreign  Office.  It  is  alleged  that  confidence  has 
been  betrayed  by  Captain  Lancing  and  Mr.  Charles 
Maxwell.  The  boys  are  shouting  it  in  the  streets, 
probably  most  of  your  guests  know  all  about  it 
by  this  time.  Those  papers  have  been  sold,  or 
given  to  somebody  who  has  made  use  of  them. 
This  is  no  canard  to  sell  a  few  miserable  papers." 

"  The  documents  you  refer  to  were  in  my  hands 
at  seven  o'clock,"  Lord  Merehaven  said.  "  I  read 
them  and  made  notes  on  the  margin  of  them  in  my 
office  not  long  before  dinner " 

"  And  did  you  lock  them  up  in  your  safe  after- 
wards ?  "  Varney  asked. 

"  No,  I  didn't.  There  is  no  safe  in  my  office. 
I  gave  the  papers  to  Captain  Lancing  and  Mr. 
Maxwell,  and  asked  them  to  see  that  they  were 
securely  placed  away.  Then  I  came  home.  Do 
you  mean  to  say  that  this  thing  has  been  over 
London  for  the  past  hour  and  I  never  knew  it  ?  " 

90 


THE  MODERN   JOURNALIST  97 

"  So  it  seems,"  Varney  said  coolly.  "  How  should 
you  know  it  when  you  have  not  been  out  of  the 
house  all  the  evening  ?  And  none  of  your  guests 
could  get  at  you  to  ask  questions,  seeing  that  you 
have  been  closeted  with  one  ambassador  or  another 
ever  since  dinner." 

"  That's  quite  true,"  Lord  Merehaven  admitted 
moodily.  "  But  what  is  to  be  done  ?  You  don't 
suggest  that  the  contents  of  those  papers  is  made 
public  ?  " 

"  I  fancy  not,"  Varney  replied.  "  My  dear  Sir 
Reginald,  you  have  read  that  paragraph.  What 
does  it  say  ?  " 

The  stricken  man  in  the  armchair  looked  up 
with  dulled  eyes,  It  was  some  little  time  before 
he  could  be  made  to  understand  the  drift  of  the 
question. 

"  I  am  trying  to  remember,"  he  said,  passing  his 
hand  over  his  forehead.  "  As  far  as  I  can  recollect, 
there  were  no  details  given.  The  paragraph  said 
that  certain  important  papers  had  been  stolen 
from  the  Foreign  Office,  and  handed  over  to  the 
enemies  of  this  country.  The  editor  of  the  Mercury 
was  supposed  to  be  in  a  position  to  vouch  for  this, 
and  he  hinted  very  freely  at  the  identity  of  the 
culprits.  A  re'sume'  of  the  missing  papers  was 
promised  for  the  morning  issue  of  the  Mercury 
to-morrow.  Then  there  was  a  break  in  the  report, 
and  down  below  a  short  history  of  my  son's  suicide. 
This  was  pointed  to  as  an  absolute  confirmation 
of  the  news,  the  suggestion  being  that  my  son  had 
shot  himself  after  reading  the  nine  o'clock  edition 
of  the  Mercury,  which  contained  the  first  part 
of  the  report." 

"  There  is  some  foul  and  mysterious  business 

G 


98          THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

here,"  Ronald  Hope  said  sternly.  "  It  is  only  twenty 
minutes  ago  that  I  heard  what  the  boys  were  calling 
out.  I  immediately  took  a  hansom  to  Maxwell's 
rooms,  to  find  that  he  had  gone  to  Paris  in  a  great 
hurry.  He  had  left  no  message  behind  him.  He 
had  not  even  taken  his  man,  whom  he  never  travels 
without." 

"  He  has  fled,"  Merehaven  said  promptly. 
"This  thing  is  absolutely  true.  What  beats  me 
is  the  prompt  way  in  which  these  Mercury  people 
collected  the  news." 

"  That  is  where  I  come  in,"  Varney  remarked. 
"  We'll  get  Lechmere  into  this,  if  you  don't  mind  ? 
Sir  Reginald  had  better  stay  here  for  the  present. 
Lechmere  shall  go  and  interview  Hunt  of  the 
Mercury.  And  if  he  does  not  bring  back  some  very 
startling  news,  I  shall  be  greatly  mistaken." 

Lechmere  came  into  the  study  cool,  collected,  and 
imperturbable  as  ever.  He  had  quite  relinquished 
his  old  pursuits  and  occupations  now,  but  he  was 
delighted  to  do  anything  to  be  of  service  to  Lord 
Merehaven  and  the  Government ;  in  point  of  fact, 
he  would  rather  enjoy  this  adventure.  What  was 
he  to  do  ? 

"  Find  Hunt  of  the  Mercury,"  Varney  said. 
"Run  him  down  in  a  corner,  and  let  him  know  that 
you  are  not  the  man  to  be  trifled  with.  And  when  you 
have  done  that,  make  him  tell  you  the  exact  time 
that  he  got  his  information  over  those  missing 
papers." 

Lechmere  nodded  without  asking  further  ques- 
tions. He  knew  that  he  would  be  told  everything 
in  time.  He  would  do  what  he  could,  and  return 
and  report  progress  as  soon  as  possible.  His  first 
move  was  to  take  a  hansom  and  go  down  to  the 


THE   MODERN    JOURNALIST  99 

office  of  the  Mercury  and  there  ask  for  Mr.  Hunt. 
But  Hunt  was  not  in  ;  he  had  gone  away  about  half- 
past  seven  and  had  not  returned  yet.  Usually  he 
looked  in  a  little  after  midnight  to  see  that  the 
evening  edition  of  the  paper  was  progressing  all 
right.  So  far  as  the  chief  sub-editor  could  say, 
Mr.  Hunt  had  gone  to  the  Carlton  to  supper. 

"  Something  gained,"  Lechmere  muttered,  as 
he  drove  to  the  Carlton.  "  If  that  chap  left  the 
office  at  half-past  seven,  that  sensational  paragraph 
had  already  been  passed  for  the  Press.  No  assist- 
ant editor  would  dare  to  shove  that  into  a  paper 
on  his  own  responsibility.  Very  smart  of  them 
to  get  Lancing's  suicide.  But  I  expect  some  Ameri- 
can reporter  shadowed  the  poor  chap." 

Mr.  Hunt  had  been  to  the  Carlton  ;  in  fact,  he  had 
just  arrived  there,  but  he  was  in  a  private  room 
with  a  lady,  and  had  asked  not  to  be  disturbed. 
Intimating  that  he  would  wait,  Lechmere  took  his 
seat  at  a  little  table  in  one  of  the  public  rooms  and 
asked  for  something.  He  had  a  sovereign  on  the 
table  by  the  side  of  his  glass,  and  looked  signifi- 
cantly at  the  waiter. 

"  That  is  for  you  to  earn,"  he  said,  "  if  you  are 
smart  and  do  your  work  properly.  In  the  first 
place,  do  you  happen  to  know  Mr.  Hunt,  the  editor 
of  the  Mercury  ?  " 

The  man  replied  that  he  knew  Mr.  Hunt  quite 
well.  In  fact,  he  was  pretty  intimately  acquainted 
with  all  the  American  colony  in  London.  Mr.  Hunt 
supped  at  the  Carlton  frequently  ;  he  was  supping 
now  with  a  lady  in  a  room  upstairs.  Lechmere 
began  to  see  his  way. 

"  Did  you  happen  to  see  the  lady  ?  "  he  asked. 
"  If  so,  what  was  she  like  ?  " 


ioo        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  I  saw  them  come  not  many  minutes  ago. 
In  fact,  they  looked  in  here,  and  the  lady  wanted 
to  take  the  table  by  the  door,  but  Mr.  Hunt  said 
'  No.'  They  appeared  to  be  in  a  great  hurry,  seeing 
that  it  is  getting  late  ;  and  it  seemed  to  me  that 
Mr.  Hunt  was  not  so  amiable  as  usual.  The  lady 
was  tall  and  dark  ;  she  had  a  black  wrap,  and  under 
it  was  a  dress  of  yellow  satin." 

"  Good  man !  "  Lechmere  said  with  genial  warmth. 
"  You  have  earned  your  money.  All  you  have  to  do 
now  is  to  let  me  know  the  moment  that  Mr.  Hunt 
is  leaving  the  hotel.  In  any  case  it  can't  be  long, 
because  it  is  nearly  twenty  minutes  past  twelve 
now." 

The  waiter  came  back  presently  and  pocketed 
his  sovereign.  Mr.  Hunt  and  the  lady  were  just 
leaving  the  hotel.  Lechmere  sauntered  into  the 
hall  and  stood  watching  the  other  two.  He  smiled 
to  himself  as  he  noted  the  face  and  features  of 
Hunt's  companion.  A  hansom  stood  at  the  door, 
and  into  it  the  American  handed  his  companion  and 
raised  his  hat. 

"  It  will  come  out  all  right,"  Lechmere  heard 
the  lady  say.  "  Don't  look  so  annoyed.  Your 
paper  is  not  going  to  be  allowed  to  suffer.  Good- 
night !  " 

The  hansom  drove  away,  and  Hunt  raised  his 
hat.  As  he  stopped  to  light  a  cigarette,  Lechmere 
crept  up  behind  him  and  tapped  him  on  the  shoulder. 
The  American  turned  in  a  startled  way. 

"  Mr.  Lechmere  !  "  he  stammered.  "  Really,  you 
gave  me  a  start.  If  there  is  anything  that  I  can 
do  for  you ?  " 

"  There  is,"  Lechmere  said  in  a  sharp,  stern  way. 
'*  I  want  to  know  the  exact  time  that  your  office 


THE   MODERN   JOURNALIST  101 

received  the  unfortunate  news  of  the  Foreign 
Office  business." 

The  directness  of  the  attack  took  the  American 
quite  off  his  balance.  The  truth  broke  from  him. 

"  About  ten  minutes  to  seven,"  he  stammered. 

That  is  to  say But,  confound  it  all,  what 

business  is  that  of  yours  ?  " 

Lechmere  smiled  ;  he  could  afford  to  let  the  other 
bluster  now  that  he  had  learnt  everything.  He 
turned  the  matter  aside  as  a  joke.  He  made  some 
remark  about  the  beauty  of  the  night,  and  a 
minute  later  he  was  bowling  back  in  a  hansom  to 
Merehaven  House. 

"  Yes,  I  have  done  pretty  well,"  he  said  in  reply 
to  Varney's  questioning  gaze.  "  I  have  seen  Hunt, 
whom  I  traced  to  the  Carlton,  where  he  was  supping 
hastily  in  company  with  Countess  Saens.  I  sort  of 
fool-mated  him  over  that  paragraph,  and  he  told  me 
that  the  information  reached  the  Mercury  at  about 
ten  minutes  to  seven.  He  tried  to  bluster  afterwards, 
but  it  was  too  late.  At  ten  minutes  to  seven  Hunt 
knew  all  about  that  scandal  at  the  Foreign  Office." 

Lord  Merehaven  threw  up  his  hands  with  a 
gesture  of  astonishment.  Varney  smiled. 

"  I  knew  that  you  would  come  back  with  some 
amazing  information,"  the  latter  said.  "  See  how 
the  mystery  gets  thicker.  Lord  Merehaven  is  going 
to  say  something." 

"  I  am  going  to  say  this,"  Merehaven  remarked 
sternly.  "  The  Mercury  knew  of  those  missing 
papers  before  seven  o'clock.  At  seven  o'clock 
those  papers  were  in  my  hands,  and  the  scandal 
had  not  begun  then.  And  yet  the  Mercury  para- 
graph, written  before  the  robbery,  is  absolutely 
true  !  What  does  it  mean  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XIV 

BAFFLED  ! 

MEANWHILE,  the  Countess  Saens  had  de 
parted  from  Merehaven  House  with  a  smiling 
assurance  to  the  effect  that  she  did  not  anticipate 
any  serious  loss  in  consequence  of  the  very  mysteri- 
ous robbery.  She  looked  easy  enough  as  she 
stepped  into  her  brougham,  drawn  by  the  splendid 
bays  that  London  knew  so  well  by  sight,  and  kissed 
her  fingers  gaily  to  her  cavalier.  But  the  bright- 
ness left  her  eyes  when  once  she  was  alone.  There 
was  a  keen,  eager  expression  on  her  face  then,  a 
look  of  mingled  anxiety  and  anger  in  her  dark  eyes. 
The  most  fascinating  woman  in  London  would 
have  surprised  her  many  admirers  had  they  chanced 
to  see  her  at  that  moment.  She  looked  old  and 
haggard  ;  the  smiling  mouth  had  grown  hard  as  a 
steel  trap.  She  did  not  wait  for  the  footman  to 
open  the  door ;  she  ran  up  the  steps  with  a  curt 
command  that  the  carriage  must  wait,  as  she  was 
presently  going  out  again. 

The  trembling  maid  was  upstairs  awaiting  the 
coming  of  her  mistress.  She  had  very  little  to  add 
to  what  she  had  already  said.  Nothing  appeared 
to  have  been  disturbed.  There  was  no  sign  of  a 
robbery  anywhere,  save  that  one  of  the  drawers  in 
a  dressing  table  had  been  turned  out  and  the  con- 
tents scattered  on  the  floor. 

"  Now  listen  to  me,"  the  countess  said.     "  Who 

paid  for  you  to  take  those  papers  ?  " 

iff 


BAFFLED!  103 

"I  know  nothing  of  any  papers,  non,  non!" 
the  maid  replied.  "I  take  nothing.  If  madame 
wishes  to  suggest  that  I  am  a  thief,  I  go.  I  leave 
to-night." 

The  girl  paced  up  and  down  the  room,  her  pale 
face  held  high.  She  was  not  used  to  being  called 
a  thief.  If  madame  was  not  satisfied  she  would 
depart  at  once.  The  countess  changed  her  tone. 

"  Now  listen  to  me,"  she  said  more  gently. 
"  Just  before  dinner  to-night  I  am  in  receipt  of 
certain  papers.  Nobody  knows  that  I  possess  them. 
For  safe  keeping  I  place  them  in  that  drawer  and 
lock  it  up.  Some  time  later  you  come  to  me  with 
this  story  of  the  burglary.  If  jewels  had  been 
stolen,  or  money,  I  would  have  perhaps  understood 
it,  though  your  tale  is  so  extraordinary  that " 

"  Not  at  all,  madame,"  the  maid  cried  hotly. 
"  No  more  strange  than  the  stories  one  reads  every 
day  in  the  newspapers.  And  there  are  no  jewels 
missing." 

"  No,  and  that  makes  the  affair  all  the  more 
suspicious  in  my  eyes.  Nobody  could  have  known 
about  those  papers,  and  yet  the  thief  takes  nothing 
else.  A  woman  walks  into  the  house  as  if  it  belonged 
to  her,  she  goes  direct  to  that  drawer,  and  there  you 
are !  You  say  you  saw  the  woman  ?  " 

The  maid  nodded  sulkily ;  she  did  not  look  in  the 
least  guilty. 

"  I  have  already  told  madame  so,"  she  said.  "  I 
saw  the  woman  twice  to-night.  The  first  time  was 
when  she  was  here,  the  second  time  at  the  residence 
of  my  Lord  Merehaven.  It  was  the  lady  in  the  satin 
dress  who  stood  in  the  hall."  The  girl  spoke  in  tones 
of  perfect  confidence.  No  ridicule  on  the  part  of 
the  countess  could  shake  her  belief  in  the  statement. 


104        THE   WEIGHT   OF  THE   CROWN 

"  But  it  is  impossible,"  the  latter  said.  "  You 
are  speaking  of  Miss  Galloway.  I  saw  Miss  Galloway 
several  times  during  the  evening.  If  you  are  correct, 
she  must  have  slipped  away  and  changed  her  dress, 
committed  the  robbery,  and  be  back  here  and  changed 
her  dress  again — all  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour." 

"  Nevertheless,  it  was  the  same  woman,"  the  maid 
said  with  a  stubborn  air. 

With  a  gesture  of  contempt  the  countess  dismissed 
the  girl.  It  was  impossible  to  believe  that  she  had 
had  a  hand  in  the  disappearance  of  those  precious 
papers.  Perhaps  the  hall  porter  might  have  some- 
thing to  say  in  the  matter.  In  the  opinion  of  Coun- 
tess Saens,  the  thief  was  non-existent.  At  any  rate, 
the  hall  porter  would  be  able  to  say. 

The  hall  porter  had  not  much  to  tell,  but  that 
little  was  to  the  point.  Certainly,  about  the  time 
mentioned  by  the  maid  a  woman  had  come  into  the 
house.  She  had  opened  the  hall  door  and  had 
walked  in  herself  as  if  she  were  quite  at  home  there. 
She  was  plainly  dressed  in  black  and  wore  a  veil. 
Then  she  proceeded  to  walk  upstairs. 

"  You  mean  to  say  that  you  did  nothing  to  inter- 
fere ?  "  the  countess  asked. 

"  Well,  no,  madame,"  the  hall  porter  admitted. 
"  The  young  woman  appeared  to  be  quite  at  home ; 
evidently  she  had  been  here  many  times  before,  and 
I  thought  she  was  a  friend  of  Annette's.  Friends  of 
hers  do  come  here  sometimes  after  you  have  gone  out, 
and  one  or  two  of  them  walk  in.  So  I  took  no  notice 
whatever.  A  little  time  after,  the  young  woman 
came  back  as  if  she  were  in  a  hurry,  and  hastened 
out  of  the  house.  Just  as  she  was  gone  I  heard 
Annette  call  out.  Thinking  that  something  was 
the  matter,  I  rushed  up  the  stairs.  When  I  knew 


BAFFLED  1  105 

what  was  wrong  it  was  too  late  to  go  after  the  thief." 

So  Annette  had  been  telling  the  truth,  the  coun- 
tess thought.  She  was  furiously  angry  at  her  loss, 
but  it  was  impossible  to  blame  anybody.  It  was 
a  stroke  of  the  sword  after  the  countess's  own 
heart.  But  there  were  disquieting  circumstances 
behind  it  that  frightened  her. 

"  You  had  better  send  again  to  the  nearest  police- 
station,"  she  said.  "  Let  them  know  that  I  have 
gone  out  and  shall  not  be  back  for  some  little  time." 

With  a  frown  between  her  delicate  brows  the 
countess  drove  away.  In  all  her  bold,  dashing, 
adventurous  life  she  had  never  been  confronted  by 
a  more  difficult  problem  than  this.  She  was  playing 
for  tremendously  high  stakes,  and  her  share  of  the 
victory  was  the  price  of  a  throne.  Once  this  thing 
was  accomplished,  she  had  no  need  ever  to  plot  or 
scheme  or  trick  again.  A  fortune  would  be  hers, 
and  she  would  sit  secure  as  a  leader  of  fashion  for 
the  rest  of  her  days. 

An  hour  ago  and  the  game  was  as  good  as  won. 
Everything  had  been  done  so  secretly;  nobody 
guessed  anything.  Another  day,  and  nothing  could 
save  the  crown  in  question.  And  yet  in  a  moment 
the  whole  dream  had  been  shattered  Somebody 
knew  exactly  what  was  going  on,  somebody  was  at 
work  to  checkmate  the  dark  design.  And  that 
somebody  was  bold  and  daring  to  a  degree.  If  the 
countess  only  knew  who  the  other  woman  was  ! 
It  was  maddening  to  work  in  the  dark  against  so 
clever  a  foe.  If  your  enemy  knows  you  and  you 
don't  know  your  enemy,  he  has  a  tremendous  advan- 
tage. The  countess  clenched  her  teeth  together 
viciously  as  she  thought  of  it. 

The  carriage  stopped  at  length  outside  the  Carlton 


io6        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

Hotel,  and  almost  immediately  Hunt,  the  editor  of 
the  Evening  Mercury,  appeared.  He  looked  uneasy 
and  anxious. 

"  Your  message  came  all  right,'*  he  said.  "  I 
came  here  at  once  and  ordered  supper,  though 
we  shall  not  have  much  time  to  talk." 

"  Then  let  us  go  into  the  room  at  once,"  the 
countess  said ;  "  though  as  to  appetite,  why — 

"  But  I  ordered  the  supper  in  a  private  room," 
Hunt  protested,  "  One  never  knows  what  people 
may  hear.  What  is  the  use  of  arguing  ?  The 
supper  is  all  ready  for  us." 

They  were  in  the  private  room  at  length.  They 
made  some  pretence  of  eating  and  drinking  till  the 
two  waiters  had  for  the  time  being  departed.  Then 
Hunt  turned  to  his  companion. 

"  What  has  happened  ?  "  he  asked.  There  was 
nothing  of  deference  in  his  manner.  It  was  quite 
evident  that  the  smart  little  American  editor  was 
no  squire  of  dames.  "  Your  manner  was  so  mysteri- 
ous. And  it  is  time  you  did  something  for  your 
money.  Two  thousand  pounds  is  a  deal  to  pay 
for " 

"  Such  information  as  I  have  already  given  you  ?" 
the  countess  interrupted.  "  I  don't  think  so, 
seeing  what  a  tremendous  sensation  you  secured 
to-night." 

"  But  those  other  papers,"  Hunt  protested.  "  You 
promised  me  the  full  details  of  that  private  under- 
standing between  England  and  Asturia.  I  have  told 
my  readers  boldly  that  they  shall  have  it  in  the  morn- 
ing issue  of  my  paper  to-morrow  morning.  If  you 
want  the  extra  money " 

"  Man,  I  want  it  as  an  old  man  wants  youth. 
It  is  vitally  necessary  to  me.  And  can't  you  see 


BAFFLED!  107 

that  it  is  to  my  interest  that  those  papers  should 
be  published  to  the  world  ?  It  will  be  a  staggering 
blow  to  England,  and  a  corresponding  advantage 
to  Russia.  I  should  have  seen  that  those  papers 
saw  the  light  whether  I  was  paid  for  them  or  not. 
But  they  are  worth  a  great  deal  to  you,  and  that 
is  why  I  approached  you  in  the  matter." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  Hunt  said  impatiently.  "  Please 
get  on.  I  came  here  to  receive  those  papers — in  fact, 
the  Mercury  is  waiting  for  them  at  this  moment. 
If  you  will  hand  them  over  to  me  you  shall  have  the 
other  cheque  for  five  thousand  posted  to  you  to- 
night. Where  are  they  ?  " 

The  countess  laughed  derisively.  There  was  a 
gleam  of  wild  fury  in  her  dark  eyes. 

"  It  is  impossible,"  she  said.  "  Out  of  the  ques- 
tion. Strange  as  it  may  seem,  those  papers  were 
stolen  from  my  house  to-night  by  some  woman 
whom  I  would  give  five  years  of  my  life  to  know." 


CHAPTER   XV 

THE   SEARCH 

HUNT'S  expression  was  not  polite,  nor  was  it 
intended  for  ears  feminine.  His  almost 
eager  face  fell ;  he  was  evidently  thinking  of  nothing 
else  but  his  paper.  He  would  have  ruined  every 
kingdom  in  the  universe,  including  the  State  that 
gave  him  birth,  to  get  a  scoop  on  his  rivals.  Just 
for  a  moment  it  flashed  across  his  mind  that  he  had 
been  betrayed  for  higher  money. 

But  that  was  hardly  possible.  No  English  paper 
would  have  dared  to  give  that  information  to  the 
world.  It  would  have  aroused  the  indignation 
of  every  patriotic  Briton,  and  the  circulation  of 
even  the  yellowest  in  the  world  would  have  suf- 
fered. And  the  expression  of  the  countess's  face 
was  no  acting. 

"  It  seems  almost  incredible,"  Hunt  said.  "  Please 
tell  me  all  about  it." 

The  countess  proceeded  to  relate  the  story.  It 
seemed  to  him  that  the  case  was  not  quite  hopeless 
after  all.  True,  he  would  not  be  able  to  enjoy  the 
prospective  triumph  of  his  paper  over  the  others, 
but  as  an  able  and  adroit  journalist  he  would  know 
how  to  get  out  of  the  difficulty. 

"  Well,  you  have  a  clue  anyway,"  he  said.  "  Miss 
Galloway  is  a  strikingly  beautiful  girl,  with  a  very 
marked  type  of  loveliness,  and  if  the  thief  was  so 
like  her  as  to  make  your  maid  certain  that  Miss 
Galloway  was  the  real  thief,  the  culprit  is  not  far 
to  seek.  You  don't  think  yourself " 

108 


THE   SEARCH  109 

"  That  Vera  Galloway  is  the  thief  ?  Of  course 
not.  The  thing  is  physically  impossible.  Besides, 
Vera  Galloway  does  not  take  the  slightest  interest 
in  politics.  She  is  quite  a  butterfly.  And  yet  the 
whole  thing  is  very  strange.  What  puzzles  me  most 
is  the  infinite  acquaintance  the  thief  appears  to  have 
with  my  house.  She  could  not  have  walked  in  like 
that  to  my  bedroom  unless  she  had  a  fine  knowledge 
of  the  geography  of  the  place." 

*'  I'll  make  a  stirring  half  column  of  it,"  Hunt 
said — "  showing  no  connection  between  your  loss 
and  that  Asturian  business,  of  course.  We'll 
hint  that  the  papers  were  stolen  by  somebody 
who  fancied  that  she  had  a  claim  on  your  vast 
Russian  estates.  See  what  I  mean.  And  we'll 
make  fun  of  the  fact  that  your  maid  recognized 
Miss  Galloway  as  the  culprit.  That  will  set  people 
talking.  We'll  offer  a  reward  of  £100  for  a  person 
who  first  finds  the  prototype  of  Miss  Galloway. 
See  ?  Unless  I'm  greatly  mistaken,  we  shall  precious 
soon  get  to  the  bottom  of  this  business." 

The  countess  nodded  and  smiled  approvingly. 
The  cunning  little  scheme  appealed  to  her.  She 
pushed  her  plate  and  glass  away  with  which  she 
had  been  toying.  At  the  same  moment  a  waiter 
came  and  handed  her  a  note,  which  she  opened  and 
read  with  a  flushed  face. 

"  It  appears  as  if  the  police  had  actually  succeeded 
in  doing  something  for  once,"  she  said.  "  This  is 
from  one  of  the  Scotland  Yard  men,  saying  that  a 
woman  in  black  dress  and  veil,  answering  to  the 
description  given  by  Annette,  has  been  taken  to 
Charing  Cross  Hospital  after  being  knocked  down 
by  a  passing  cab.  This  may  or  may  not  mean 
anything,  but  it  is  distinctly  encouraging.  I  am 


no        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

told  that  I  shall  know  more  in  the  morning.     But 
that  is  not  good  enough  for  me." 

"  Don't  do  anything  impetuous,"  Hunt  said 
anxiously. 

"  I  am  not  in  the  habit  of  doing  impulsive  things," 
the  countess  replied.  "  At  the  same  time,  I  am 
going  to  Charing  Cross  Hospital  to-night  to  make 
sure.  It  is  quite  time  we  finished  this  discussion, 
as  you  have  to  alter  your  plans  and  write  that  para- 
graph. Let  us  be  going." 

A  little  later  and  the  countess  was  proceeding 
in  her  brougham  eastwards.  Hunt  had  parted 
from  Lechmere,  too,  after  the  latter  had  derived 
his  useful  piece  of  information  from  the  startled 
editor.  But  the  countess  did  not  know  anything 
of  that.  And  as  she  was  approaching  the  well- 
known  hospital,  Jessie  Harcourt  was  reaching  it 
in  another  direction  in  the  motor-car  of  Lascelles, 
otherwise  known  as  "  Pongo."  The  nearer  she  ap- 
proached to  her  destination  the  more  nervous  did  the 
girl  become. 

"  Awfully  jolly  ride,"  Lascelles  grinned.  "  Glad 
you  put  that  black  thing  over  your  head,  though. 
It's  a  pity  to  cut  the  thing  short,  but  I  suppose  the 
joke  has  gone  far  enough  ?  " 

"  Not  quite,"  Jessie  said  between  her  teeth.  "  I 
am  going  to  confide  in  you,  Mr.  Lascelles " 

"  Called  me  '  Pongo '  just  now,"  the  other  said 
in  tones  of  deep  reproach.  "  It  seems  to  me " 

"  Well,  Pongo,  then — dear  Pongo,  if  you  like," 
Jessie  said  desperately.  "  I  am  going  to  confide  in 
you.  I  want  you  to  put  me  down  close  to  the  hospital, 
and  then  you  go  back  without  me.  You  may  infer 
that  I  did  not  care  for  the  business,  and  that  I  re- 
turned home  by  the  front  door.  Then  at  the  end  of 


THE   SEARCH  HI 

half  an  hour  or  so,  you  are  to  declare  that  the  sport 
is  over  for  the  night  and  ride  off  as  if  seeking  your 
chauffeur.  After  that  you  are  to  come  here  and 
fetch  me  back.  You  understand  ?  " 

It  was  quite  plain,  from  the  blank  expression  of 
Lascelles'  face,  that  he  did  not  understand.  The 
familiar  air  had  left  him ;  he  had  grown  stiff  and 
almost  stern. 

"  I  don't  quite  follow,"  he  said.  "  Of  course, 
if  I  choose  to  play  the  ass — which,  by  the  way,  I 
am  getting  a  little  tired  of — why,  that  hurts  nobody. 
But  when  a  lady  who  I  respect  and  admire  asks  me 
to  become  a  party,  don't  you  know,  to  what  looks 
like  some — er — vulgar  assignation " 

"  You  are  wrong,"  Jessie  cried.  "  You  are  a 
gentleman  ;  you  have  more  sense  than  I  expected. 
I  pledge  you  my  word  of  honour  that  this  is  no  assig- 
nation. It  is  a  case  of  life  and  death,  a  desperate 
case.  I  am  going  into  the  hospital ;  it  is  important 
that  nobody  should  know  of  my  visit — none  of  my 
own  friends,  I  mean.  I  could  come  back  in  a  hansom, 
but  danger  lies  that  way.  I  have  no  money  for  one 
thing.  Mr.  Lascelles,  please  believe  that  I  am 
telling  the  truth." 

The  girl's  troubled  eyes  turned  on  the  listener's 
face.  Lascelles  would  have  been  less  than  a  man  had 
he  not  yielded,  sorely  against  his  judgment  as  it  was. 

"  I'll  do  it,"  he  said.  "  No  woman  ever  yet 
appealed  to  me  in  vain.  Because  I  play  the  ass 
people  think  that  I  don't  notice  things,  but  they  are 
mistaken.  I've  never  done  anything  yet  to  be 
ashamed  of,  anyway.  And  I'm  not  going  to  begin 
now.  It  seems  to  me  that  you  are  making  a  great 
sacrifice  for  somebody  else.  If  I  could  feel  quite 
sure  that  that  somebody  else  was  a " 


112        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  Woman  ?  It  *s  a  woman  !  I  felt  quite  sure  that 
I  could  rely  upon  you.  Now  please  go  back  and 
act  exactly  as  I  have  suggested.  When  you  come 
to  know  the  truth — as  assuredly  you  shall  some  day — 
I  am  quite  certain  that  you  will  never  repent  what 
you  are  doing  to-night." 

Lascelles  was  equally  certain  of  it.  He  was  quite 
convinced  now  that  he  was  no  party  to  anything 
wrong.  All  the  same,  his  face  was  very  grave  as  he 
helped  Jessie  from  the  car,  and  placed  her  wrap 
more  carefully  around  her.  It  was  a  long  black 
wrap,  covering  her  head  and  face  and  reaching  to 
the  ground,  so  that  the  girl's  rich  dress  was  quite 
hidden. 

"  Half  an  hour,"  Jessie  whispered.  "  It  may  be 
a  little  longer.  I  can  trust  your  discretion.  At 
first  I  was  a  little  afraid  that  perhaps  you  might — 
but  in  your  new  character  you  are  quite  reliable. 
Do  not  stay  any  longer  or  we  shall  attract  attention." 

Lascelles  wheeled  his  car  round  and  started  west- 
ward once  more.  Jessie  hesitated  just  a  minute 
to  make  quite  sure  that  she  had  her  permit  in  her 
pocket,  when  a  two-horse  brougham  dashed  up. 
Evidently  some  fashionable  doctor  summoned  in  a 
hurry,  Jessie  thought.  But  when  she  looked  again 
at  the  perfectly  appointed  equipage,  with  its  fine 
horses  and  its  silver  harness,  she  knew  better.  The 
thing  was  too  fashionable  and  glittering  for  a  doctor ; 
besides,  no  man  in  the  profession  would  use  such  a 
turn-out  at  night.  Then,  as  Jessie  looked  again, 
her  heart  beat  more  violently  as  she  recognized 
the  face  of  the  occupant.  It  was  the  Countess  Saens. 
What  did  she  want  at  this  hour  of  the  night  ?  No 
errand  of  mercy,  Jessie  felt  quite  sure,  for  the 
Countess  Saens  did  not  bear  that  reputation. 


THE   SEARCH  113 

Then  like  a  flash  it  came  to  the  girl  standing 
hesitatingly  on  the  pavement.  The  countess  had 
found  some  clue,  possibly  through  the  assertions 
of  the  maid  Annette  that  the  sham  Miss  Galloway 
was  the  thief  who  was  responsible  for  the  burglary. 
It  was  possible  for  such  a  train  of  thought  to  be 
started  and  worked  out  logically  in  that  brilliant 
brain.  But  there  was  one  other  thing  that  Jessie 
would  have  given  a  great  deal  to  know — How  had 
the  countess  discovered  that  the  real  Miss  Galloway 
was  detained  by  an  accident  at  Charing  Cross 
Hospital  ? 

Well,  Jessie  would  know  in  a  very  few  minutes. 
The  countess  stepped  out  of  her  carriage  and  made 
her  way  into  the  hall  of  the  hospital.  She  could  be 
seen  talking  to  the  porter,  who  shook  his  head. 
Evidently  the  countess  was  asking  for  something 
that  was  against  the  rules.  Again  the  man  shook  his 
head.  Jessie  felt  that  a  crisis  was  at  hand.  She 
stood  on  the  pavement  hesitatingly,  so  eager  that 
her  hand  fell  from  her  face  ;  her  features  were  distinct 
and  lovely  in  the  strong  rays  of  light.  A  man  walk- 
ing past  her  in  a  great  hurry  stopped,  and  an 
exclamation  broke  from  him. 

"  Vera !  "  he  said  hurriedly.  "  Vera,  won't  you 
speak  to  me  ?  Great  heavens !  A  chance  like 
this " 

Instantly  Jessie  guessed  what  had  happened. 
She  was  face  to  face  with  Vera's  lover,  Charles 
Maxwell !  " 


CHAPTER   XVI 

WAS   IT  RUSSIA  ? 

DR.  VARNEY  went  slowly  and  thoughtfully 
back  to  the  house  after  seeing  Jessie  start 
on  her  adventure.  The  brilliant  old  scientist  had 
ample  food  for  thought  as  he  walked  along.  It 
was  not  as  if  he  did  not  thoroughly  grasp  the  situa- 
tion. He  had  a  reputation  for  something  besides 
medicine  ;  his  practice  largely  lay  amongst  diploma- 
tists and  statesmen.  Once,  even,  he  had  been 
summoned  to  a  consultation  on  the  illness  of  a  king. 

So  that  he  knew  most  of  the  inner  political  game 
by  heart.  He  could  be  bold  and  discreet  at  the 
same  time.  Very  little  of  the  scandal  that  hung 
over  the  Asturian  throne  like  a  blighting  cloud 
was  hidden  from  him.  He  could  have  placed  his 
finger  on  the  fatal  blot  at  once. 

In  the  library,  Lord  Merehaven  with  Ronald  Hope 
and  Lechmere  were  still  talking  over  matters.  Sir 
Reginald  Lancing  had  disappeared,  to  Varney's 
relief.  The  stricken  old  man  had  avowed  himself 
to  be  better.  He  was  sorry  that  he  had  obtruded  his 
grief  on  his  friends  ;  he  would  like  to  go  home  at  once ; 
he  did  not  wish  for  anybody  to  accompany  him. 

"  All  this  is  very  irregular,"  Lord  Merehaven 
was  saying  as  Varney  joined  the  group  again  and 
carefully  closed  the  door  behind  him.  "  According 
to  all  precedent  I  should  not  discuss  this  matter 
with  you  gentlemen  at  all." 

114 


WAS   IT   RUSSIA?  115 

"  But  think  what  we  may  accomplish,"  Ronald 
said  eagerly.  "  The  whole  scandal  maybe  averted. 
I  fancy  that  you  can  trust  everybody  here,  my  lord." 

"  I  have  been  the  recipient  of  a  few  secrets  in  my 
time,"  Lechmere  said  drily.  "  Lord  Merehaven 
will  not  forget  what  my  audacity  accomplished  in 
the  Moscow  case." 

"  Officially,  I  know  nothing  about  it,"  Lord 
Merehaven  murmured.  "  Officially " 

"  Officially  you  know  nothing  about  this  matter," 
Lechmere  interrupted  with  some  impatience.  "A 
Minister  cannot  hold  himself  responsible  for  the 
statements  made  in  an  irresponsible  paper  which 
is  notoriously  controlled  by  Americans.  The  Mer- 
cury suggests  that  certain  papers  have  been  stolen, 
and  that  one  of  the  culprits  has  fled,  whilst  the  other 
has  committed  suicide.  Who  shall  say  that  Mr. 
Maxwell  has  fled  ?  Certainly  he  has  departed 
suddenly  for  Paris.  Unfortunately.  Captain  Lancing 
has  committed  suicide.  At  the  same  time,  it  is 
a  notorious  fact  that  he  has  had  heavy  losses  at 
cards  and  on  the  turf,  which  may  account  for  every- 
thing. And  as  to  those  papers  alleged  to  be  stolen, 
why,  Lord  Merehaven  had  them  in  his  own  hands 
at  seven  o'clock  to-night." 

"  An  excellent  piece  of  political  logic,"  said  Lord 
Merehaven.  "  I  could  not  have  given  a  better 
explanation  from  my  place  in  the  House.  But  I 
fear  that  if  I  were  pressed  to  say  that  I  had  taken 

steps  to  discover  if  those  papers  were  intact . 

You  see  my  position  ?  " 

"  I  must  speak  plainly,"  Lechmere  went  on.  "  It 
is  any  odds  that  the  papers  have  gone.  The  thing 
has  been  arranged  for  some  time ;  the  house  where  the 
papers  were  to  be  handed  over  to  the  arch  thief 


n6        THE   WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

was  actually  fixed.  The  arch  thief,  taking  the  thing 
as  a  settled  fact,  gave  a  broad  outline  of  what  was 
going  to  happen  to  the  editor  of  the  Evening  Mer- 
cury. He  saw  a  chance  of  a  '  scoop,'  and  decided 
to  take  the  chance  of  the  papers  not  being  delivered. 
If  there  was  a  hitch  at  the  last  moment,  Hunt  could 
easily  wriggle  out  of  it.  But  the  papers  changed 
hands,  and  Hunt's  bold  plan  was  justified.  Lancing 
saw  the  paragraph  and  shot  himself." 

"  But  why  should  he  shoot  himself  ? "  Lord 
Merehaven  asked. 

"  I  fancy  that  is  pretty  obvious,"  Lechmere 
went  on.  "  Lancing  was  betrayed.  Don't  you  see 
that  Hunt  promised  to-morrow  to  give  a  precis  of 
the  stolen  documents  ?  If  my  deductions  are  correct, 
Lancing  only  borrowed  the  papers  on  the  distinct 
understanding  that  they  should  be  returned.  Lanc- 
ing had  a  large  sum  of  money  for  that  act  of  his. 
If  we  find  that  he  had  considerable  cash  about  him 
I  shall  be  certain.  No  sooner  had  he  parted  with 
the  papers  than  he  was  coolly  betrayed.  The  receiver 
of  the  papers  simply  laughed  at  him.  Who  was 
the  receiver  of  the  papers  ?  " 

"  Some  foe  of  England,"  Lord  Merehaven  said. 
"  A  Russian  agent  probably.  If  those  papers  are 
made  public  we  shall  have  our  trouble  for  our 
pains  in  Asturia,  and  Russia  will  buy  the  King  of 
Asturia  out.  So  far,  I  can  see  this  thing  quite 
plainly." 

"  You  are  right  beyond  a  doubt,  my  lord," 
Lechmere  went  on.  "  With  your  permission  I  am 
going  to  locate  exactly  where  those  papers  went. 
They  went  to  a  woman." 

"  I  should  doubt  that,"  Lord  Merehaven  said. 
"  I  should  doubt  it  very  much  indeed." 


WAS   IT   RUSSIA?  117 

"  Nevertheless,  I  am  going  to  prove  it  to  you," 
said  Lechmere. 

"  Those  papers  must  have  been  disposed  of  after 
seven  o'clock  to-night.  By  nine  o'clock  Lancing 
had  read  in  print  how  he  had  been  cruelly  betrayed. 
Well,  with  all  his  faults,  Lancing  was  a  man  of  high 
courage.  He  had  great  physical  strength  as  well. 
What  did  he  do  directly  he  read  that  paragraph  and 
saw  that  he  had  been  deluded.  Did  he  go  off  and 
shoot  himself  at  once  ?  Not  he  !  He  got  up  from 
the  dinner  table  of  his  club  quite  quietly  and  called 
a  hansom.  Obviously  he  was  going  to  lose  no  time 
in  seeing  the  person  to  whom  he  delivered  the 
important  State  papers.  Is  that  logic  ?  " 

The  listeners  standing  round  the  fire-place  ad- 
mitted that  it  was.  Interest  was  painted  on  every 
face. 

"We  know  now  that  Lancing  failed  in  his  mission 
which  was  proved  by  the  fact  that  he  returned  to  his 
club  and  shot  himself  there.  Now,  I  conclude 
that  Lancing  did  not  fail  to  find  his  deceiver.  He 
would  not  have  given  up  the  search  so  easily  as  all 
that.  It  was  not  the  man's  character,  nor  could 
the  deceiver  have  left  London,  because  it  was  im- 
perative that  the  same  deceiver  should  be  on  the 
spot  to  watch  the  progress  of  events.  My  idea 
is  that  Lancing  saw  the  deceiver  and  failed  to  get 
the  papers  back." 

"  Then  where  does  his  strength  and  courage  come 
in  ?  "  Merehaven  asked.  "  Remember  that  you 
began  to  draw  a  series  of  inferences  from  that  same 
courage." 

"  I  have  not  finished  yet,  my  lord,"  Lechmere 
said  quietly.  "  Lancing  failed  because  his  courage 
and  personal  strength  was  useless  in  this  case. 


n8        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

If  he  had  been  dealing  with  a  man  he  would  not 
have  hesitated.  But  poor  Lancing  was  seriously 
handicapped  by  the  fact  that  he  had  a  woman 
for  his  antagonist.  You  can't  ill-treat  a  woman ;  you 
can't  damage  her  features  and  knock  her  teeth  out. 
And  that  is  why  Lancing  failed.  He  saw  the  woman, 
and  she  laughed  at  him.  She  defied  him  to  do  his 
worst.  He  could  not  denounce  her  without  pro- 
claiming his  own  shame,  and  the  clever  woman 
traded  on  that.  Therefore  Lancing  went  and  shot 
himself.  What  do  you  think  of  my  argument  ? 

It  was  evident  from  the  silence  that  followed  that 
each  of  the  little  group  was  considerably  impressed 
by  the  clear  logic  of  the  speaker's  story.  It  was  not 
often  that  Lechmere  said  so  much,  though  his 
reputation  was  high,  and  more  than  one  knotty 
trouble  had  been  solved  by  him. 

"  Our  friend  is  absolutely  right,"  Varney  said  at 
length.  "  The  more  I  think  of  it  the  more  certain 
I  am.  Perhaps  he  can  tell  us  the  name  of  the 
woman  ?  " 

"  That  I  am  also  in  a  position  to  do,"  Lechmere 
proceeded,  without  the  slightest  shade  of  triumph  in 
his  voice.  "  Accident  helped  me  to  that.  In  the 
hall  some  time  ago  there  was  a  little  scene  between 
Countess  Saens  and  her  maid.  The  maid  came  to 
say  that  a  strange  robbery  had  taken  place  at  the 
house  of  the  countess.  Nothing  had  been  taken 
but  papers  from  a  certain  drawer.  Now  I  was  close 
by  and  heard  that,  and  I  had  a  good  opportunity 
of  seeing  that  lady's  face.  Rage,  anger,  despair, 
murder  almost,  danced  like  so  many  devils  in  her 
dark  eyes.  The  countess  was  quick  to  recover  her- 
self, but  she  had  betrayed  herself  to  me.  I  did  not 
think  so  very  much  of  this  at  the  time,  but  when  I 


WAS   IT   RUSSIA?  119 

subsequently  saw  the  countess  leave  the  house  and 
subsequently  find  that  she  had  gone  off  to  have  supper 
with  Hunt  of  the  Evening  Mercury  in  a  private 
room  at  the  Carlton,  I  knew  as  well  as  if  she  had 
told  me  that  she  had  met  Hunt  to  tell  him  why  she 
could  not  give  him  the  chance  of  printing  the  crux 
of  those  stolen  papers  in  the  morning  edition  of 
the  Mercury — for  the  simple  reason  that  the  papers 
had  in  turn  been  stolen  from  her." 

Ronald  Hope  turned  as  if  to  speak,  then  as  sud- 
denly changed  his  mind.  It  would  be  a  mistake 
to  still  further  complicate  matters  at  this  junction, 
he  thought. 

"  It  was  to  Countess  Saens  that  Lancing  delivered 
those  papers,"  Lechmere  said  finally.  "  Lord 
Merehaven  looks  dubious ;  but  his  lordship  does  net 
know,  and  I  do,  that  the  brilliant  society  creature, 
Countess  Saens,  is  really  one  of  the  cleverest  adven- 
turesses in  Europe — a  police  spy,  passing  as  a  kind  of 
socialist  and  the  rest.  If  I  could  see  the  King  of 

Asturia " 

"  You  shall,"  Varney  snapped  out.  "  You  shall 
see  him  before  half  an  hour  has  passed.  Stay  where 

you   are    and Stop  !    Hope,  keep  an  eye    on 

Prince   Mazaroff,  and  see  that  he  does  not  leave 
the  house." 


CHAPTER   XVII 

A  BOW  AT  A  VENTURE 

WITH  a  strong  feeling  of  congratulation  that  he 
had  gleaned  the  whole  story  of  her  wild  adven- 
ture from  Jessie  Harconrt,  Varney  walked  coolly  up 
the  staircase.  He  had  little  difficulty  in  locating 
the  room  where  the  dissolute  ruler  of  Asturia  lay. 
It  was  the  only  locked  door  in  that  corridor,  and 
he  had  the  key  in  his  pocket,  which  key,  it  will  be 
remembered,  Jessie  handed  over  to  him. 

The  lights  were  still  burning  there ;  the  king  still 
lay  in  the  huddled  uniform  of  General  Maxgregor 
on  the  bed.  At  the  end  of  the  corridor  a  telephone 
gleamed.  Varney  crossed  over  and  called  up  his 
own  confidential  servant,  to  whom  he  gave  a  long 
message.  This  being  done,  he  returned  to  the  bed- 
room and  carefully  locked  the  door  behind  him. 
He  crossed  over  to  the  bed  and  shook  the  royal 
occupant  much  as  a  policeman  shakes  a  drunken 
tramp  asleep  in  a  gutter. 

"  Get  up,"  he  said.  "  Get  up  ;  you  are  wanted  at 
once.  And  drink  this — do  you  hear  ?  " 

The  blear-eyed  wretch  sat  up  in  bed.  He  was 
shaking  from  head  to  foot.  His  hands  shook  as  he 
held  them  out  for  the  contents  of  the  bottle  that 
Varney  was  holding — the  rest  of  the  drug  that  had 
]3een  administered  to  Sir  Reginald  Lancing. 

"  I  hope  it  won't  hurt  me,"  the  king  whispered. 
"  My  doctqr  here.  Dr.  Varney——" 


A   BOW   AT   A   VENTURE  121 

"  I  am  Dr.  Varney,"  said  the  latter  coldly, 
"  only  you  are  still  too  drunk  to  know  who  I  am. 
I  am  not  likely  to  give  you  anything  harmful — at 
least,  not  for  the  present.  Where  are  your  clothes? 
You  never  came  here  in  that  uniform." 

"  I  was  in  evening  dress,"  the  king  said  help- 
lessly. "  Somebody  must  have  changed  with  me. 
Look  and  see,  there's  a  good  fellow.  Must  have 
been  a  big  fellow  who  played  this  trick  on  me." 

Varney  gave  a  grunt  of  disappointment.  He 
recollected  now  that  Maxgregor  had  gone  off  in  the 
guise  of  the  king.  Therefore,  if  the  king  had  that 
proposed  treaty  of  abdication  in  his  pocket,  the 
same  was  in  the  possession  of  Maxgregor  at  this 
moment. 

"  You  are  in  the  house  of  Lord  Merehaven," 
Varney  said.  "  You  should  have  come  here  to-night 
with  the  queen.  In  the  interests  of  your  country, 
and  in  the  interests  of  Europe,  you  should  have  been 
here.  Instead  of  that  you  go  off  somewhere  and 
get  wretchedly  drunk  in  some  gambling-house.  It 
was  by  great  good  luck  that  you  were  found  and 
conveyed  secretly  here  by  the  garden  entrance. 
Kings  have  done  some  disgraceful  things  in  their 
time,  but  nothing  quite  so  bad  as  your  conduct 
to-night.  Where  is  the  document  that  Prince 
Mazaroff  gave  you  to  sign  ?  " 

It  was  a  bow  drawn  at  a  venture,  but  the  shaft 
went  home. 

"  I  don't  know,"  the  king  groaned.  "  I  put  it 
in  my  pocket.  It  was  not  the  thing  to  sign  all  at  once. 
Shouldn't  have  pluck  enough  whilst  I  was  sober. 
Then  I  had  too  much  champagne.  What  was 
that  you  gave  me  to  drink  just  now  ?  Seems  to 
make  a  new  man  of  me,  Haven't  felt  so  £t  and 


122        THE    WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

well  for  years.     Feel  as  if  I  could  do  anything  now." 

"  You'll  want  all  your  manhood  presently,"  Varney 
said  coolly.  "  Your  father  was  a  man  of  courage, 
as  I  found  out  for  myself  in  his  last  painful  illness. 
You  had  pluck  enough  as  a  boy ;  you'd  have  it  again 
now  if  you  dropped  your  champagne.  Wash 
yourself  well,  and  make  yourself  look  as  respectable 
as  possible.  We  are  going  downstairs." 

"  What,  like  this !  "  the  king  cried  in  dismay. 
"  In  a  uniform  that  is  far  too  big " 

"  Nothing  of  the  kind.  There  is  a  change  coming 
for  you  from  your  hotel.  My  confidential  servant  is 
seeing  to  it,  and  he  will  be  here  presently.  With 
clean  clothes  and  linen  and  an  order  or  two  you  will 
be  a  passable  king  yet.  Go  and  wash  yourself  at 
once.  You  are  in  my  hands  to-night." 

There  was  a  cold,  stinging  contempt  in  Varney's 
tones  by  no  means  lost  on  the  listener.  Perhaps 
some  sense  of  shame  was  stirring  within  him,  for 
no  reproof  rose  to  his  trembling,  bibulous  lips. 
Varney  passed  out  presently,  locking  the  door 
behind  him  as  coolly  as  if  he  had  been  a  gaoler.  At 
the  foot  of  the  stairs  a  neat-looking  footman  was 
waiting  with  a  parcel  for  Varney.  As  he  took 
it  Hope  crossed  the  hall.  There  was  a  look  of 
alertness,  a  desire  for  battle  in  his  face. 

"  What  is  going  on  ?  "  Varney  asked.  "  Some- 
thing seems  to  have  happened  ?  " 

"  Count  Gleikstein  is  here,"  Ronald  whispered. 
"  The  Russian  charge  d?  affaires,  in  the  absence  at 
St.  Petersburg  of  the  Ambassador.  You  can 
imagine  what  he  has  come  for.  There  was  a  great 
battle  of  wits  going  on  in  the  salon.  The  Queen  of 
Asturia  is  talking  to  Gleikstein,  and  I  have  secured 
the  presence  of  Prince  Mazaroff.  Lechmere  looks 


A   BOW   AT   A   VENTURE  123 

anxious  for  the  fray,  and  I  should  say  from  the 
expression  on  his  face  that  he  has  a  knife  up  his 
sleeve.  If  we  could  play  some  strong  card " 

"  We  are  going  to,"  Varney  snapped,  as  he 
hugged  his  bundle  under  his  arm.  "  Only  keep  the 
ball  rolling  for  another  quarter  of  an  hour,  and  I 
shall  be  ready  for  you.  Listen  !  " 

Very  rapidly  Varney  whispered  a  few  instructions 
into  the  ear  of  Hope.  The  latter  grinned  delightedly, 
then  his  face  grew  grave  again.  The  thing  was  seri- 
ous enough,  and  yet  there  was  a  fine  element  of 
comedy  in  it.  It  was  diplomacy  gone  mad.  On  the 
hall  stand  was  a  stack  of  visiting  cards.  On  one  of 
them,  chosen  at  haphazard,  Hope  wrote  a  message. 
He  trusted  that  the  queen  would  understand;  in 
fact,  he  felt  sure  that  she  would. 

The  little  group  in  the  salon,  under  the  famous 
Romney  and  the  equally  famous  Velasquez,  was  a 
striking  one — the  Queen  of  Asturia,  tall  and  stately, 
and  smiling  as  if  perfectly  at  her  ease ;  by  her  side 
Count  Gleikstein,  the  Russian  charge  d'affaires, 
slim  waisted,  dark  of  face  and  stern  of  eye,  yet  with 
a  waxed  moustache  and  an  air  that  gave  a  suggestion 
of  effeminacy  to  him.  Lechmere  was  lounging 
by  in  a  listless  kind  of  way,  and  yet  from  time  to 
time  there  was  an  eager  tightening  of  his  mouth 
that  proved  him  ready  for  the  fray.  Prince  Mazaroff 
completed  the  group. 

Ronald  Hope  came  up  with  a  respectful  bow, 
and  tendered  the  card  to  the  queen.  She  glanced  at  it 
leisurely ;  her  face  betrayed  nothing  as  she  read  the 
message  and  handed  the  card  back  to  Ronald  again. 
One  grateful  look  flashed  from  her  eyes. 

"  I  regret  that  I  cannot,"  she  said.  "  I  have  so 
many  calls  of  that  kind  on  my  time.  If  the  lady  is  a 


124        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE    CROWN 

friend  of  yours,  Captain  Hope,  I  may  stretch  a 
point  in  her  favour.  She  may  call  on  my  secretary 
at  eleven  o'clock  to-morrow  morning." 

Ronald  bowed  deeply  as  if  charged  with  a  message, 
and  hastened  into  the  hall.  The  card  he  tore  into 
small  fragments  and  cast  into  a  waste  paper  basket 
under  one  of  the  hall  tables.  Then  he  went  back  to 
the  striking  group  under  the  picture  again. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  it  concerns  all  of  us,"  the 
count  was  saying  in  a  dangerously  insinuating  voice. 
Of  course,  one  can  hardly  be  responsible  for  what  the 
papers  say,  but  in  the  present  dangerous  state  of 
public  opinion  in  Asturia — the  queen  will  pardon 
me?" 

"  I  pardon  anybody  who  does  their  duty  to  their 
country  at  any  cost,"  the  queen  said.  "  If  we 
could  produce  those  papers  that  your  royal  master 
is  so  suspicious  about " 

"  Then  I  am  to  understand  that  some  papers  of 
importance  have  really  been  stolen  ?  "  the  count 
said  swiftly. 

"  On  the  contrary,  you  are  not  to  understand  any- 
thing of  the  kind,"  Lord  Merehaven  smiled.  "  My 
dear  count,  I  could  lead  you  a  fine  wild-goose  chase 
if  I  chose  to  allow  your  imagination  free  run.  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  the  papers  you  allude  to  were  in  my 
own  hands  at  seven  o'clock  this  evening.  It  is 
hardly  possible  that  they  could  have  been  stolen 
and  their  contents  made  known  to  an  American 
paper  within  an  hour  from  that  time.  So  easy 
am  I  in  my  mind  that  I  have  not  even  sent  down  to 
my  office  to  see  if  the  papers  are  still  extant.  And 
when  you  see  the  King  of  Asturia " 

"  But  I  understand  that  he  has  gone  to  Paris  ?  " 
Count  Gleikstein  said,  with  a  swift,  meaning  glance 


A   BOW   AT   A   VENTURE  125 

at  the  queen.  "  Of  course,  if  his  majesty  were  here, 
and  could  give  us  an  assurance  that  he  has  in  no  way 
given  his  authority  and  let  you  know  what  I  mean. 
I  am  afraid  that  those  agreeable  Bohemian  excur- 
sions that  his  majesty  is  so  fond  of  are  not  regarded 
in  Asturia  in  the  same  liberal  light  that  they  might 
be.  Still,  your  assurance,  my  dear  Lord  Mere- 
haven,  will  not " 

"  Will  not  weigh  like  that  of  his  majesty,"  Mere- 
haven  said.  "  If  he  were  only  here " 

"  He  has  been  detained,"  the  queen  said,  ignoring 
a  meaning  smile  that  passed  between  the  count  and 
Prince  Mazaroff.  "If  I  could  only  have  a  mes- 
sage  " 

A  quick,  smothered  cry  broke  from  Mazaroff  as  he 
looked  to  the  door.  Gleikstein  followed  his 
glance,  and  his  face  fell  wofully.  The  queen 
smiled  and  advanced  one  step  towards  the  door. 
Her  dark  eyes  were  filled  with  a  great  and  lasting 

joy- 

"  I  think  your  kindness  is  going  to  be  rewarded, 
count,"  she  said.  "Yes,  I  was  not  mistaken." 

A  tall  footman  in  the  doorway  announced — "  His 
Majesty  the  King  of  Asturia ! " 


CHAPTER   XVIII 

WATCHING 

IT  was  not  difficult  for  Jessie  to  guess  the  identity 
of  the  man  who  addressed  her.  Only  a  man 
who  loved  and  felt  sure  that  he  was  loved  in  return 
would  have  spoken  to  a  girl  like  that.  This  was 
Charles  Maxwell  beyond  a  doubt.  Nice-looking 
enough,  Jessie  thought,  with  a  pleasing,  amiable 
face — perhaps  a  trifle  too  amiable,  but  there  was  no 
mistaking  the  power  in  the  lines  of  the  mouth. 

"  What  are  you  doing  here  like  this  ? "  he 
asked.  "  Heavens !  has  all  the  world  gone  mad  to- 
night ?  " 

The  bitterness  of  despair  rang  in  the  speaker's 
voice.  Jessie  noticed  that  Maxwell  was  dressed 
not  in  the  least  like  men  in  his  position  usually 
dress  at  that  time  of  the  night.  He  wore  a  grey 
flannel  suit  and  a  panama  hat  pulled  down  over  his 
eyes. 

"  I  came  on  urgent  business,'*  Jessie  said.  "  I 
presume  that  you  are  Mr.  Maxwell  ?  " 

"  Why  should  I  deny  it  ?  "  the  other  asked.  "  I 
am  Charles  Maxwell,  and  the  most  miserable  dog  in 
London.  But  I  am  forgetting.  Why  do  you  ask 
me  such  a  foolish  question,  Vera  ?  " 

"  Because  I  want  to  be  quite  sure  of  my  ground," 
Jessie  said.  "  And  because  I  am  not  Miss  Vera 
Galloway  at  all.  If  you  look  at  me  very  closely 
you  will  see  that  for  yourself." 

IM 


WATCHING  127 

Maxwell  stared  at  Jessie  in  a  dull,  wooden  kind  of 
way,  as  if  the  whole  thing  were  past  his  compre- 
hension. 

"  Yes,"  he  said,  "  there  is  a  difference,  but  it  is 
so  subtle  that  even  I  should  not  have  noticed  it 
unless  you  had  called  my  attention  to  it.  But  I  know 
who  you  are  now.  You  are  Miss  Harcourt,  daughter 
of  Colonel  Harcourt,  late  of  the  — th.  I  have  often 
told  Vera  of  the  wonderful  likeness  between  you.  If 
you  should  ever  meet  her  in  private  life " 

"  I  have  met  her,  I  am  personating  her  at  the 
present  moment,"  Jessie  whispered. 

"  Amazing !  "  Maxwell  exclaimed.  "  But  I  under- 
stood that  you  were — that  you  had  been — in 
short " 

"  Engaged  in  a  Bond  Street  shop,"  Jessie  finished 
the  sentence.  "  So  I  was  till  to-day,  when  I  was 
discharged  through  no  fault  of  my  own.  Miss 
Galloway  sent  for  me  to  take  her  place.  Secretly 
I  have  played  her  part  all  this  evening.  And 
she  went  away  dressed  in  my  simple  black 
clothes " 

"  But  why  ?  "  Maxwell  demanded  jealously.  "  Why 
all  this  absurd  mystery  ?  " 

"  Surely  you  can  guess  ?  Why  do  you  look  so 
suspicious  ?  I  am  not  altogether  in  Miss  Galloway's 
confidence,  but  I  understand  that  she  wanted  to 
save  somebody  whom  she  loved — somebody  that  was 
in  trouble.  It  requires  no  great  intelligence  to 
guess  that  you  were  the  person  in  question.  It  was 
all  connected  with  those  papers  missing  from  the 
Foreign  Office." 

"  I  know  no  more  about  it  than  the  dead,"  Max- 
well said  vehemently.  "  The  papers  in  question — 
and  others — were  as  much  in  Lancing's  custody  as 


128        THE   WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

mine.  It  was  he  who  was  to  blame,  though  I  admit 
that  I  locked  the  papers  away  to-night  after 
Lord  Merehaven  had  done  with  them.  When 
I  saw  the  Mercury  I  was  horror-stricken.  I  guessed 
exactly  what  had  happened." 

"  How  could  you  guess  what  had  happened  ?  " 
Jessie  asked. 

"  Because  I  have  had  my  suspicions  for  some 
time,"  Maxwell  said.  "  I  dismissed  those  suspicions 
as  unworthy  of  me  and  insulting  to  Captain  Lancing. 
I  know  that  he  was  greatly  infatuated  with  Countess 
Saens,  whom  a  Mr.  Lechmere,  a  late  Queen's  Mes- 
senger, had  warned  me  against  as  no  better  than  a 
Russian  spy.  Lancing  was  mad  over  her.  There 
is  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  she  induced  Lancing 
to  let  her  have  those  papers  to  copy.  Then  she 
refused  to  return  them,  and  Lancing  committed 
suicide.  That  is  what  I  make  of  it." 

"  The  sensational  report  in  the  Mercury  went 
farther  than  that,"  Jessie  said.  "  It  is  assumed  that 
you  are  a  party  to  the  conspiracy,  and  that  you 
fled  to  Paris.  Is  that  true,  or  going  to  be  true  ?  " 

"  As  heaven  is  my  witness,  no,"  Maxwell  said 
in  a  hoarse  whisper.  "  When  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  what  had  happened,  I  determined  to  get 
possession  of  those  papers.  I  vanished,  saying 
that  I  was  called  suddenly  to  Paris.  For  the  last 
four  hours  I  have  been  dogging  Countess  Saens.  I 
followed  her  here,  and  I  am  not  going  to  lose  sight 
of  her  until  she  is  safely  at  home.  And  when  she 
is  once  safely  at  home,  I  am  going  to  do  a  desperate 
and  daring  thing.  What  is  she  doing  here  ?  " 

Jessie  made  no  reply  for  the  moment.  She  had 
pulled  her  wrap  over  her  face  again  so  that  she 
should  not  be  recognized.  She  was  watching  the 


WATCHING  129 

movements  of  Countess  Saens  breathlessly.  The 
woman  had  passed  up  the  steps  into  the  big  hall 
beyond  the  swinging  glass  doors.  She  seemed  to 
be  arguing  with  a  porter,  who  shook  his  head  in  an 
emphatic  way.  Evidently  the  countess  was  angry ; 
so  much  could  be  seen  from  her  gestures  and  the 
shake  of  her  shoulders. 

"  She  is  trying  to  see  a  patient  at  irregular 
hours,"  Jessie  said,  "  and  the  porter  is  adamant. 
I  pray  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  that  she 
may  fail." 

"  Is  this  another  piece  in  the  puzzle  ?  "  Max- 
well asked  hopelessly. 

"  It  is  the  key-piece  of  the  problem,"  said  Jessie. 
"  Ah,  the  porter  is  not  to  be  moved.  He  has  sent  off 
an  under  porter,  possibly  to  call  one  of  the  house 
surgeons.  See,  the  countess  sits  down." 

Surely  enough  the  countess  had  flung  herself 
angrily  into  a  seat.  Nobody  seemed  to  care  much 
about  her,  for  she  waited  ten  minutes  without  any 
sign  of  anybody  in  authority.  Meanwhile  Jessie 
was  making  Maxwell  au  fait  with  the  situation. 

**  You  threatened  some  dangerous  and  desperate 
enterprise  a  little  later  on,"  she  said.  "  I  suppose 
that  is  a  supreme  effort  to  try  and  get  those  papers  ?  " 

"  You  have  guessed  it,"  Maxwell  said  grimly. 
"  If  I  could  do  that,  the  whole  situation  would  be 
saved.  We  could  do  anything ;  we  could  point  to 
Lancing's  suicide  as  the  result  of  reckless  gambling. 
Mind  you,  that  would  be  more  or  less  true.  If 
Lancing  had  not  been  desperately  situated,  he  would 
never  have  yielded  to  the  countess's  fascinations 
and  sold  those  precious  documents." 

"  Yes,  yes,"  Jessie  interrupted.  "  But  unless  I 
am  greatly  mistaken,  you  have  been  forestalled. 

I 


130        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

Somebody  else  has  already  removed  the  documents 
from  Countess  Saens's  custody." 

"  You  don't  really  mean  that !  What  was  it — a 
case  of  diamond  cut  diamond  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  not  quite  in  the  way  you  imagine. 
Those  papers  were  stolen  in  turn  from  Countess 
Saens  to-night,  taken  from  a  drawer  in  her  bedroom 
by  Miss  Galloway." 

Maxwell  pressed  his  hands  to  his  head.  The 
situation  was  too  much  for  him.  He  groaned 
for  an  explanation. 

"  I  can  only  surmise,"  Jessie  said.  "  But  pre- 
sently you  will  have  to  admit  that  I  have  very 
strong  grounds  for  my  surmises.  In  some  way  Miss 
Galloway  obtained  a  clue  to  what  was  about  to  hap- 
pen. That  is  why  I  was  called  in  to  take  her  place,  so 
that  she  could  have  an  hour  or  two  without  being  sus- 
pected. An  hour  or  so  ago  Countess  Saens's  maid 
came  to  Merehaven  House  with  the  information 
that  there  had  been  a  burglary  in  the  countess's 
bedroom,  but  that  nothing  besides  some  papers 
seemed  to  be  missing.  That  those  papers  were  impor- 
tant could  be  guessed  by  the  ghastly  yet  furious 
expression  on  the  lady's  face.  The  maid  was  pressed 
for  a  description  of  the  thief — who,  by  the  by,  was  a 
woman.  And  then  and  there  the  maid  pitched  upon 
me.  She  declared  point  blank  that  it  was  I  who  com- 
mitted the  burglary.  What  do  you  think  of  that  ?  " 

"  You  are  a  clever  young  lady,"  Maxwell  said 
hoarsely.  "  Pray  go  on." 

"  The  maid  stuck  to  her  guns,  though  everybody 
laughed  at  her.  She  said  the  thief  was  dressed  in 
plain  black,  and  as  I  was  in  evening  dress,  and  had 
been  seen  all  the  evening,  those  who  heard  were 
amused.  But  /  understood.  In  my  plain  black 


WATCHING  131 

dress  Miss  Galloway  had  gone  to  the  countess's 
house  and  stolen  those  papers.  The  thing  was  as 
clear  as  daylight  to  anybody  behind  the  scenes. 
Under  the  circumstances,  your  prospective  bur- 
glary would  be  so  much  loss  of  time." 

"  I  quite  understand  that,"  Maxwell  muttered. 
"  It  is  exceedingly  clever  of  you  to  read  between  the 
lines  so  clearly.  Vera  has  done  this  for  my  sake.  But 
how  did  she  know — how  could  she  possibly  tell  what 
was  going  to  happen,  and  when  those  papers  were 
to  be  found  ?  Of  course,  /  guessed  where  the  trouble 
lay  directly  I  saw  the  Mercury  paragraph,  but  Vera  ! 
And  she  never  takes  the  slightest  interest  in  politics. 
What  are  you  looking  at  ?  " 

Once  more  Jessie  was  staring  intently  past  the 
swinging  doors  of  the  hospital  into  the  big  hall 
beyond.  The  countess  had  now  risen  from  her 
chair  and  was  facing  a  little  man  with  a  bald  head 
and  gold-rimmed  spectacles,  who  appeared  to  be 
explaining  something  to  her.  Jessie  could  see 
him  bow  and  shake  his  head.  Her  breath  came 
very  fast. 

"  Why  are  you  so  interested  in  the  countess's 
present  action  ?  "  Maxwell  asked. 

"  Because  she  has  come  here  to  try  and  see  a 
patient,"  Jessie  whispered  intently.  "  From  the 
bottom  of  my  heart,  I  pray  that  she  may  fail. 
If  she  succeeds  we  are  ruined,  you  are  ruined.  For 
the  patient  is  no  other  than  Vera  Galloway.'* 


CHAPTER    XIX 

THE   QUEST  OF  THE   PAPERS 

"  T  SUPPOSE    I    shall  be  able  to  take   it  all  in 

J.  presently,"  Maxwell  said  feebly.  "  Vera  is 
a  patient  here,  and  the  countess  has  come  to  see 
her.  But  would  you  mind  explaining  to  me  why 
Vera  is  here,  what  has  happened  to  her,  and  what 
that  fiend  of  a  woman  desires  to  know  ?  " 

"  It  was  a  case  of  cruel  misfortune,"  Jessie  said. 
"  Miss  Galloway  was  knocked  down  by  a  passing 
cab  in  Piccadilly  and  brought  here.  She  was  not 
so  badly  hurt,  because  she  had  the  sense  to  call  her- 
self by  my  name.  Besides,  Dr.  Varney  saw  her 
here.  And  Dr.  Varney  discovered  my  secret,  so 
that  I  was  obliged  to  confide  in  him.  Now  do  you 
see  ?  " 

"  I  can't  see  where  the  Countess  Saens  comes 
in,"  Maxwell  murmured. 

"  You  are  not  very  wise  or  long  sighted  for  a 
diplomatist,"  Jessie  said  with  a  faint  smile.  "  Don't 
you  see  that  the  countess's  maid's  suspicions  fell 
on  fruitful  soil  ?  When  she  left  Merehaven  House 
for  her  own,  she  discovered  the  full  significance  of 
her  loss.  Then  she  began  to  put  things  together. 
She  had  an  idea  that  a  trick  had  been  played  upon 
her.  She  had  the  police  in " 

"  Yes,  but  how  did  she  discover  that  anybody 
answering  to  Vera's  description  was  here  ?  " 

"  Easily  enough.     Her  maid  gave  the  description 

of  the  thief.     Then  the  police  began  to  make  in- 

iaa 


THE   QUEST   OF   THE   PAPERS          133 

quiries.  They  discover  that  a  girl  in  black  answer- 
ing to  the  maid's  description  has  been  brought  here 
after  an  accident.  They  tell  the  countess  as 
much.  The  police  don't  worry  about  the  matter 
for  the  present,  because  their  bird  is  quite  safe. 
But  that  is  not  good  enough  for  the  countess.  She 
comes  here  to  make  sure  for  herself;  she  suspects 
the  trick." 

"  I  confess  that  you  are  too  clever  for  me,"  Max- 
well sighed.  "  And  yet  everything  you  say  is  abso- 
lutely clear  and  convincing.  I  am  afraid  that 
there  is  still  further  trouble  looming  ahead.  How 
did  you  get  to  know  what  had  happened  ?  " 

"  Miss  Galloway  sent  me  a  message  by  a  district 
boy.  The  idea  was  that  I  was  to  try  and  see  her 
without  delay,  and  go  on  playing  my  part  until  we 
could  resume  our  respective  personalities.  Without 
some  further  coaching  such  a  thing  was  impossible. 
I  took  Dr.  Varney  into  my  confidence,  and  he  gave 
me  a  permit  to  see  Vera  Galloway  to-night.  I  am 
here  at  considerable  risk,  as  you  understand,  though 
I  have  prepared  for  my  return  to  Merehaven  House. 
Ah,  she  has  failed." 

The  countess  was  standing  up  and  gesticulating 
wildly  before  the  little  man  in  the  gold-rimmed 
glasses.  He  seemed  to  be  profoundly  sorry,  but 
he  was  quite  firm.  He  signalled  the  porter,  who 
opened  one  of  the  big  glass  doors  and  signified  that 
the  countess  could  depart. 

Even  her  fascinations  have  failed,"  Jessie  said. 
"  Please  let  me  go,  Mr.  Maxwell.  If  I  am  recognized 
now  everything  is  ruined.  And  you  had  better 
not  be  seen,  either." 

"  Every  word  that  you  say  is  replete  with  wis- 
dom," Maxwell  said.  "  One  moment.  I  must  see 


134        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

you  again  to-night  and  know  how  things  are  going. 
Will  you  meet  me  in  an  hour's  time  in  the  garden 
at  the  back  of  Merehaven  House  ?  Don't  say  no." 

"  If  it  can  possibly  be  managed,"  said  Jessie. 
"  Now  I  must  go.  You  had  better  get  into  the 
shadow  across  the  road.  I  feel  that  all  is  going  to 
be  well  yet." 

Maxwell  lounged  away,  and  Jessie  passed  quickly 
along  as  the  countess  came  down  the  steps  and 
stepped  into  her  brougham.  Jessie  waited  to  see 
the  flashing  equipage  drive  away  before  she  turned 
again  and  in  her  turn  mounted  the  steps  of  the 
hospital. 

Jessie  boldly  demanded  to  see  a  patient  named 
Harcourt,  and  thrust  her  permit  into  the  porter's 
hand.  He  looked  a  little  suspicious  over  this  fuss 
about  a  mere  patient,  but  the  name  on  the  permit 
had  its  force,  and  presently  Jessie  found  herself 
entering  one  of  the  wards  under  the  charge  of  a 
nurse.  The  nurse  glanced  at  Jessie's  half-concealed 
face,  and  came  to  the  natural  conclusion  that  here 
was  a  sister  of  the  latest  accident  case.  Under 
the  circumstances,  she  had  no  hesitation  in  leaving 
Jessie  and  Vera  Galloway  together. 

"  Thank  Heaven  you  have  come  ! "  Vera  whis- 
pered. "  No,  there  is  not  much  the  matter.  I 
suppose  I  must  have  fainted  at  the  shock  and  the 
pain,  but  the  doctor  says  I  shall  be  out  in  two  or 
three  days  at  the  outside.  It  is  a  case  of  bruised 
tendons  more  than  anything  else.  You  dear,  brave 
girl!" 

The  dear,  brave  girl  forced  a  smile  to  her  lips. 
All  the  same,  the  prospect  was  alarming.  It  was 
one  thing  to  carry  this  imposture  through  for  an 
hour  or  two,  but  quite  another  to  keep  the  comedy 


THE   QUEST   OF   THE   PAPERS          135 

going  for  some  days  longer.     But  audacity  carries 
such  things  through. 

"  Tell  me  everything  that  has  happened,"  Vera 
went  on.  "  Don't  let  us  dwell  on  this  cruel  mis- 
fortune. Everything  seemed  going  so  well  when 
that  wretched  cab  came  along.  Perhaps  I  was 
dazed  by  my  success.  I  know  that  I  was  shaking 
from  head  to  foot.  .  .  but  that  mattered  to  nobody 
but  myself.  Tell  me." 

Jessie  proceeded  with  her  story.  She  had  a 
deeply  interested  listener.  Vera  turned  from  side 
to  side  and  her  face  grew  pale  as  she  listened  to  the 
amazing  story  that  Jessie  told  her. 

"  So  I  am  in  danger,"  she  said.  '*  The  countess 
suspects.  And  it  was  all  true,  all  about  Charles 
and  Captain  Lancing.  I  heard  that  as  I  came 

along.     If  I  could  only  see  Charlie " 

"  I  saw  him  not  five  minutes  ago,"  Jessie  said. 
"  Perhaps  I  had  better  finish  my  story,  and  then  you 
can  ask  any  questions  you  like  afterwards." 

Vera  composed  herself  to  listen  with  what  patience 
she  could.  Her  white  face  was  flushed  and  hot 
before  Jessie  had  finished.  The  latter  looked  un- 
easy. She  was  evidently  uneasy  in  her  mind  about 
something. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  I  must  ask  you  to  confide  in 
me  more  fully,"  Jessie  said.  "  Presently  I  will  ask 
you  to  give  me  a  few  simple  instructions  whereby 
I  can  keep  in  touch  with  my  position.  But  you 
will  recognize  the  danger,  both  to  you  and  myself. 
The  countess  has  her  suspicions  aroused,  as  I  have 
told  you.  Now  tell  me,  did  you  visit  her  house  to- 
night ?  Were  you  the  burglar,  so  to  speak,  who " 

"  I  was.  I  may  as  well  admit  it  to  you.  It  was 
the  matter  of  the  papers.  You  see  I  knew -" 


136        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  Yes,  but  how  did  you  know  ?  "  Jessie  per- 
sisted. "You  saw  me  this  evening  quite  early.  At 
that  time  those  papers  were  quite  safe  at  the  Foreign 
Office.  How  could  you  tell  then  that  they  were 
going  to  be  stolen,  or  rather,  conveyed  to  Countess 
Saens  ?  And  if  you  knew  that  the  robbery  was 
going  to  take  place,  why  did  you  not  warn  Lord 
Merehaven  ?  Or  better  still,  tell  Mr.  Maxwell  what 
you  had  discovered  ?  " 

"  I  could  not  get  in  touch  with  Charlie  at  that 
moment."  Vera  said,  speaking  as  if  with  difficulty. 
The  tears  had  gathered  in  her  eyes.  "  There  was 
no  time  to  be  lost." 

"  I  am  still  very  much  at  sea,"  Jessie  said  gently. 
"  What  aroused  your  suspicions  ?  " 

"  Yes,  I  had  better  tell  you  everything,"  Vera 
said  in  a  firmer  tone.  "  You  have  been  so  good  to 
me,  you  are  so  loyal  and  brave.  There  never  was 
anybody  so  good  to  a  stranger  before." 

"  No,  no.  I  did  it  all  for  money.  It  was  because 
I  was  so  desperately  placed " 

"  It  is  nothing  of  the  kind,  Jessie,  and  you  know 
it.  You  would  have  done  the  same  for  me  in  any 
case — I  feel  certain  that  you  would.  My  first  sus- 
picions were  aroused  by  a  letter  which  came  into 
my  hands.  It  was  evidently  sent  in  mistake,  and 
written  by  Charlie  to  Countess  Saens.  It  seems 
as  if  the  two  had  struck  up  a  violent  flirtation  to- 
gether. If  I  cared  less  than  I  do  for  Charlie — 

"  I  would  not  let  your  mind  dwell  on  that,"  Jessie 
said  soothingly.  "  When  you  get  to  the  bottom 
of  this  business  you  will  find  that  there  is  some  plan 
on  the  part  of  that  infamous  woman.  May  I  ask 
you  whether  that  letter  was  an  admission  of  guilt 
on  the  part  of  Mr.  Maxwell,  or " 


THE   QUEST   OF   THE   PAPERS          137 

"  It  might  have  been.  In  the  light  of  recent 
events  it  certainly  looks  like  it.  But  pretty  well 
e  erything  is  capable  of  explanation,  as  you  know, 
i  shall  possess  my  soul  in  patience.  .  .  I  am  so 
lazed  and  confused  now  that  I  do  not  seem  able 
to  think  clearly.  But  when  I  sent  for  you  I  could 
see  everything  as  clear  as  crystal  before  my  eyes. 
If  I  had  not  met  that  cab  everything  would  have 
been  all  right,  and  you  would  have  been  back  at 
home  by  this  time  and  nobody  any  the  wiser." 

"  Then  you  were  quite  successful  ? "  Jessie 
asked  eagerly. 

"  Absolutely  successful.  I  can't  think  now  how 
I  had  courage  to  do  it.  Once  I  got  going,  my  nerves 
never  failed  me  for  a  moment.  You  see,  I  know 
that  house  where  the  countess  lives;  I  have  been 
there  so  many  times  before.  And  I  felt  so  strong 
and  resolute,  especially  when  I  passed  the  porter 
and  he  did  not  make  any  protest.  But  the  rest 
you  already  have  from  the  Countess  Saens's  maid. 
It  was  a  sheer  piece  of  bad  luck  finding  her  there  at 
all." 

"  And  you  got  safely  out  of  the  house  with  those 
papers  ?  That  was  a  bit  of  good  luck  indeed." 

Vera  Galloway  smiled.  A  sudden  idea  came  to 
her — the  idea  seemed  to  come  to  both  girls  at  the 
same  time.  It  was  Jessie  who  put  the  question. 

"  And  where  are  the  papers  now  ?  "  she  asked. 
"  You  had  better  let  me  have  them." 

"  Have  them  !  "  Vera  echoed  blankly.  "  Where 
are  they?  Don't  say  they  were  lost  after  I  fell 
under  the  cab ! " 

There  were  no  papers  anywhere  to  be  found. 


CHAPTER   XX 

A  SPECIAL  EFFORT 

COOL  hand  as  he  was,  even  Lechmere  glanced 
with  astonishment  at  the  King  of  Asturia. 
The  ruler  was  small  and  mean-looking  generally, 
but  now  he  seemed  to  be  transformed.  Varney's 
drug  must  have  been  a  powerful  one  to  make  that 
difference.  For  here  was  a  king — a  boy  specimen 
with  red  hair,  but  a  king  all  the  same.  Count 
Gleikstein  flashed  a  furious  glance  at  Mazaroff,  who 
merely  shrugged  his  shoulders.  But  he  was  puzzled 
and  annoyed,  as  Lechmere  could  see  from  the  expres- 
sion of  his  face.  The  comedy  was  a  pleasing  one 
for  the  old  queen's  messenger. 

The  great  salon  was  still  well  filled  by  Lord 
Merehaven's  guests,  for  this  was  one  of  the  functions 
of  the  season,  and  few  people  were  going  farther  to- 
night. It  was  known,  too,  that  the  great  diva  also 
had  captured  all  hearts  and  was  going  to  sing  again. 
Therefore  the  big  room,  with  its  magnificent  pictures 
and  china  and  statuary  gleaming  with  hundreds 
of  electric  lights,  was  still  filled  with  a  brilliant  mass 
of  moving  colour. 

A  thrill  and  a  murmur  had  run  round  the  brilliant 
assembly  as  the  King  of  Asturia  came  in.  There 
had  been  many  rumours  lately,  but  nobody  quite 
knew  the  truth.  The  King  of  Asturia  had  either 
abdicated  his  throne  or  he  had  been  deposed  by  a 
revolution.  The  papers  had  been  full  of  gossip 
lately,  for  the  Queen  of  Asturia  was  a  popular  figure 


A   SPECIAL   EFFORT  139 

in  London  society,  and  people  were  interested.  It 
was  for  this  reason — it  was  for  the  sake  of  necessary 
people  that  Lord  Merehaven  had  hoped  to  have 
seen  his  royal  guest  earlier. 

But  here  he  was  at  last,  making  a  dramatic  en- 
trance at  exactly  the  proper  time,  and  surprising 
even  the  man  who  had  brought  this  mischief  about. 

"  The  constitution  of  an  ox,"  Varney  told  him- 
self. "  With  a  heart  like  his,  too  !  And  yet  an 
hour  ago  he  was  looking  death  in  the  face.  I'll 
try  that  drug  again." 

The  king  came  forward  smiling  and  at  his  ease. 
He  bowed  to  the  queen,  and  placed  her  hand  to  his 
lips.  Then  he  extended  his  fingers  to  Lord  Mere- 
haven. 

"  My  dear  lord,  I  am  much  distressed  to  be  so 
late,"  he  said.  "  I  dare  say  the  queen  will  have 
told  you  the  reason  why  I  have  been  delayed.  Ah, 
good  evening,  Count  Gleikstein.  Prince  Mazaroff, 
I  wonder  you  are  not  ashamed  to  look  me  in  the 
face." 

Mazaroff  muttered  something  and  looked  uncom- 
fortable. He  was  understood  to  ask  what  he  had 
done. 

"  Now  there  is  an  elastic  conscience  for  you ! " 
the  king  cried.  "That  man  comes  between  me 
and  my  duty  to  my  people,  and  then  he  asks  what 
he  has  done!  He  knows  that  love  of  pleasure  is 
my  stumbling-block,  and  he  plays  on  my  weakness. 
Only  this  very  afternoon  he  comes  to  me  with  a 
proposal  which  I  find  utterly  irresistible.  My  dear 
prince,  I  shall  have  to  forswear  your  company.  You 
had  no  right  to  take  me  where  you  took  me  to-day." 

Mazaroff  stepped  back  puzzled  and  confused. 
He  had  decided  that  he  knew  his  man  well,  but  here 


140        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

was  an  utterly  unexpected  phase  of  his  character. 

"  You  gave  me  certain  papers  to  sign,"  the  king 
went  on.  "  Positively,  I  have  utterly  forgotten 
what  they  were  all  about.  Nothing  very  important, 
or  I  should  not  have  presumed  to  sign  them.  Some- 
thing to  do  with  concessions,  were  they  not  ?  " 

"That  is  so,  please  your  majesty,"  Mazaroff 
stammered.  "  It  is  a  matter  that  will  keep.  If  you 
will  go  over  the  petition  at  your  leisure  ?  As  a 
liberal-minded  man  myself " 

"  My  dear  Mazaroff,  your  liberal-mindedness  is 
proverbial.  But  as  to  those  papers,  I  lost  them. 
Positively,  they  are  nowhere  to  be  found.  You 
must  let  me  have  others." 

A  curious  clicking  sound  came  from  Mazaroff's 
lips.  The  face  of  Count  Gleikstein  turned  pale  with 
anger.  There  was  a  comedy  going  on,  and  the  grave 
listeners  with  their  polite  attention  knew  what  was 
happening  quite  as  well  as  if  the  conversation  had 
been  in  plain  words. 

"  Your  majesty  is  pleased  to  jest  with  me," 
Mazaroff  said  hoarsely. 

'*  Indeed  I  am  not,  my  good  fellow.  Blame 
yourself  for  the  excellency  of  that  brand  of  cham- 
pagne. We  dined  somewhere,  did  we  not  ?  I  must 
have  changed  somewhere  after,  for  I  distinctly 
remember  burning  a  hole  in  my  shirt  front  with  a 
cigarette,  and  behold  there  is  no  burn  there  now ! 
Somewhere  in  the  pocket  of  a  dress-coat  lies  your 
precious  concessions." 

"  I  think,"  the  queen  said  with  some  dignity,  "we 
had  better  change  the  conversation.  I  do  not  approve 
of  those  medieval  customs  in  my  husband.  Ah, 
Madame  Peri  is  going  to  sing  again." 

There  was  a  hush   and  a  stir,  and   the  glorious 


A   SPECIAL   EFFORT  141 

liquid  notes  broke  out  again.  Mazaroff  slipped 
away,  followed  presently  by  Count  Gleikstein. 
The  latter's  face  was  smiling  and  gay  as  he 
addressed  some  remark  to  Mazaroff  in  a  low  tone, 
but  his  words  were  bitter. 

"  You  senseless  fool,"  he  said.  "  How  have  you 
managed  to  blunder  in  this  idiotic  way  ?  And  after 
everything  had  been  so  perfectly  arranged.  It 
would  have  been  known  to-morrow  in  every  capital 
in  Europe  that  the  Queen  of  Asturia  attended  the 
important  diplomatic  and  social  function  alone. 
We  could  have  hinted  that  the  king  had  already 
fled.  In  the  present  state  of  feeling  in  Asturia  that 
would  have  insured  the  success  of  the  revolution." 

"  And  the  occupation  of  Russia  in  the  interests 
of  peace,"  Mazaroff  sneered.  "  My  dear  Gleikstein, 
I  am  absolutely  dumbfounded.  It  was  as  the  king 
says.  I  lured  him  into  a  house  where  only  the 
fastest  of  men  go,  a  gambling  den.  I  saw  that  act 
of  abdication  in  his  pocket.  I  saw  him  so  helplessly 
intoxicated  that  it  was  any  odds  he  was  not  seen 
before  morning.  I  arranged  for  him  to  be  detained 
where  he  was.  To-morrow  the  thing  would  have 
been  done ;  it  would  have  been  done  to-day  but  he 
was  past  signing.  Then  he  comes  here  clothed  and 
in  his  right  mind.  It  is  amazing.  We  shall  have 
to  begin  all  over  again,  it  seems  to  me." 

"  We  certainly  have  received  a  check,"  Gleikstein 
admitted  with  a  better  grace.  "  But  there  are  other 
cards  to  play  yet.  Those  papers  missing  from  the 
Foreign  Office,  for  instance.  To  get  to  the  bottom 
of  England's  game  will  be  a  great  advantage." 

"  Don't  you  know  that  we  have  been  beaten 
there  as  well  ?  "   said  Mazaroff. 
"  You  don't  mean  to  say  so !  Impossible !    Why,  the 


142        THE   WEIGHT   OF  THE   CROWN 

countess  sent  a  cypher  message  to  say  that  she  had 
been  entirely  successful.  The  message  was  not  sent 
direct  to  me,  of  course,  but  it  came  by  a  sure  hand 
about  eight  o'clock.  The  countess  had  not  read 
those  papers,  but  they  were  most  assuredly  in 

her  possession.     She  promised  me  that " 

"  Well,  she  is  no  longer  in  a  position  to  fulfil  her 
promise,"  said  Mazaroff.  "To  return,  the  papers 
were  most  impudently  stolen  from  her  house.  It 
is  quite  true,  my  dear  Gleikstein,  that  we  both  realize 
the  powerful  secret  combination  that  we  have  to 
fight  against.  Don't  you  see  what  a  clever  lot 
they  are !  How  they  have  tracked  our  deeds  and 
acts  !  How  did  they  manage  to  recover  the  king 
and  bring  him  here  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind  ? 
Why,  the  thing  is  nothing  less  than  a  miracle.  Then 
the  countess  loses  those  papers  almost  before  they 
are  in  her  possession.  It  is  any  odds  that  she  had 
not  even  sufficient  time  to  glance  at  them." 

"  But  you  are  quite  sure  that  the  papers  have 
been  lost,  Mazaroff  ?  " 

"  Absolutely  certain,  though  the  countess  did 
not  tell  me  so.  She  left  here  in  a  violent  hurry  on 
her  maid  coming  to  say  that  there  had  been  a 
burglary  at  her  house.  I  heard  all  that  in  the  hall. 
The  maid  said  that  nothing  but  papers  had  vanished. 
One  glance  at  the  face  of  the  countess  told  me  what 
papers  those  were.  And  so  we  have  a  powerful 
combination  against  us  who  can  work  miracles  and 
undo  our  best  efforts  almost  before  the  knots  are 
securely  tied.  For  the  present  we  are  beaten,  and 
it  will  be  just  as  well  for  you  to  realize  it 
thoroughly." 

Gleikstein  would  have  said  more,  but  Lechmere 
lounged  up  at  the  same  moment.  His  grey,  lean 


A   SPECIAL   EFFORT  143 

face  was  quite  smooth  and  placid ;  there  was  a  smile 
on  his  face. 

"  What  are  you  two  old  friends  conspiring  about  ? " 
he  asked." 

"  There  is  never  any  conspiracy  so  far  as  diplo- 
macy is  concerned,"  Gleikstein  said  smoothly.  "  We 
are  all  crystal  wells  of  truth.  Who  told  you  we 
were  old  friends  ?  " 

"My  eyes,"  Lechmere  said  quite  coolly.  "And 
my  excellent  memory.  It  is  idle  to  try  and  deceive 
an  old  queen's  messenger  like  me.  You  look 
puzzled,  both  of  you.  Cast  your  minds  back  to 
I5th  November,  1897,  at  Moscow.  It  was  at 
the  Hotel  Petersburg.  Three  men  were  playing 
loo.  There  was  a  waiter  with  one  eye  in  the  room. 
Come,  there  is  a  puzzle  for  you." 

And  Lechmere  lounged  on  as  if  anxious  to  catch 
up  a  passing  acquaintance. 

"  What  does  he  mean  ?  "  Mazaroff  muttered 
anxiously.  "  What  does  the  fellow  know  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XXI 

"  FOREWARNED,   FOREARMED  " 

GLEIKSTEIN  looked  as  utterly  puzzled  as 
his  companion.  They  glanced  at  one  another 
in  a  guilty  kind  of  way.  Evidently  the  allusion 
to  the  Hotel  Petersburg  mentioned  by  Lechmere 
conjured  up  some  painful  and  none  too  creditable 
associations. 

"  There  was  only  one  other  man  present,  and  he 
has  totally  disappeared,"  said  Gleikstein.  "Now 
how  did  that  man  come  to  know  all  about  it  ?  One 
never  seems  quite  to  get  away  from  the  past." 

Somebody  attracted  Gleikstein's  attention,  and 
Mazaroff  wandered  off  into  the  garden.  He  was 
uneasy  and  disturbed  in  his  mind,  and  anxious  over 
the  failure  of  his  plot.  It  seemed  as  if  the  whole 
affair  was  little  better  than  an  open  secret.  As  an 
agent  of  Russia,  he  was  anxious  to  see  the  abdication 
of  the  throne  by  the  King  of  Asturia.  Asturia 
was  a  stumbling-block  south  in  the  path  of  Russian 
progress.  Once  the  king  had  abdicated  or  been 
forced  from  his  throne  by  a  revolution,  Russia  would 
certainly  step  in  under  the  plea  of  the  maintenance 
of  peace  in  a  notoriously  turbulent  region.  They 
might  concede  to  European  opinion  by  placing 
a  puppet  on  the  throne,  but  henceforth  Asturia 
would  be  no  better  or  worse  than  a  Russian  province. 
If  this  was  accomplished,  then  Mazaroff  netted  a 
fortune.  Only  to-day  it  had  seemed  in  his  grasp. 

And  with  the  swiftness  of  a  lightning  flash,  every- 
thing had  changed.  The  puppet  had  been  torn 


"FOREWARNED,  FOREARMED"    145 

from  Mazarofi's  hands ;  those  compromising  papers 
had  vanished  from  Countess  Saens's  drawer.  At 
the  present  moment  Lord  Merehaven  was  in  a  posi- 
tion to  shrug  his  shoulders,  and  say  that  those  suspi- 
cions must  be  verified  before  he  was  prepared  to 
admit  anything.  It  was  a  comedy  on  both  sides, 
but  it  remained  a  comedy  so  long  as  those  papers 
were  not  forthcoming. 

Mazaroff  was  brought  back  out  of  the  grave  of 
these  gloomy  reflections  by  a  footman  who  tendered 
him  a  note.  There  was  no  answer,  the  servant  said, 
he  had  merely  had  to  deliver  the  letter  to  Prince 
Mazaroff.  With  a  new  interest  in  life,  Mazaroff 
recognized  the  Countess  Saens's  neat  writing.  He 
read  the  letter  slowly  and  thoughtfully,  then  tearing 
it  in  small  pieces  he  dropped  the  fragments  into  the 
heart  of  a  laurel  bush.  A  slow,  cruel  smile  spread  over 
his  dark  face. 

"  So  that  is  the  game,"  he  muttered.  "  Strange 
that  I  did  not  spot  it  before.  Still,  the  marvellous 
likeness  would  have  deceived  anybody.  The  maid 
was  not  far  wrong  after  all.  Well,  at  any  rate,  I 
"shall  have  some  sport  out  of  this.  Who  knows 
what  it  may  lead  to  ?  *' 

Quite  eagerly  Mazaroff  dropped  his  cigarette 
and  returned  to  the  house.  He  walked  from  one 
room  to  the  other  as  if  looking  for  somebody.  He  was 
in  search  of  Miss  Galloway,  he  said.  Had  anybody 
see  her  lately  ?  He  had  an  important  message  to 
deliver  to  her  from  Countess  Saens.  The  cry  was 
taken  up — it  became  generally  known  that  Vera 
Galloway  was  sought  after. 

One  had  seen  her  here  and  one  had  seen  her  there, 
but  nobody  knew  anything  definite.  The  more 
difficult  the  search  became,  the  more  Prince  Mazaroff 

K 


146        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

appeared  to  be  pleased.  The  quest  came  to  the  ears 
of  Dr.  Varney  at  length.  He  dropped  the  ever- 
pleasant  conversation  in  which  he  was  indulging 
with  a  famous  lady  novelist  and  became  alert 
instantly. 

"  I  fancy  I  can  find  her,"  he  said.  "  Who  seeks 
her  so  closely  at  this  time  of  night  ?  " 

"  Prince  Mazaroff,"  a  girl  laughed  as  she  passed 
by.  "Is  it  a  proposal,  do  you  think,  doctor  ? 
Fancy  being  proposed  to  by  a  real  prince !  " 

But  Varney  was  anxious  behind  his  answering 
smile.  His  name  had  not  been  mentioned  in  the 
business  at  all.  He  was  quite  free  to  cross-examine 
Mazaroff  without  the  latter  being  in  the  least  sus- 
picious. And  Varney  had  a  pretty  shrewd  idea  that 
Mazaroff  regarded  him  as  an  elderly  old  fossil  who 
had  a  child's  mind  outside  the  regions  of  science. 
He  pottered  up  to  the  Russian  presently. 

"  What  are  you  seeking  ?  "  he  asked.  "  Is  there 
anything  that  I  can  do  for  you  ?  " 

"  Yes  ;  I  am  looking  for  Miss  Galloway,"  Mazaroff 
said,  with  a  gleam  in  his  eye  that  told  Varney  a 
great  deal  more  than  the  speaker  imagined.  "  I  have 
an  important  message  for  her." 

"  Well,  tell  me  what  it  is  and  I  will  deliver  it," 
Varney  said  with  a  vacuous  smile.  "  As  the  family 
physician  there  are  no  secrets  from  me.  Who  seeks 
Miss  Galloway  ?  " 

"  Tell  her  the  Countess  Saens,"  Mazaroff  said. 
"  I  fancy  she  will  understand  that.  I  have  just  had 
a  letter " 

But  Varney  had  wandered  off  as  if  the  conversa- 
tion did  not  in  the  least  interest  him.  As  a  matter 
of  fact,  he  was  both  startled  and  uneasy.  Mazaroff 
had  been  too  communicative  in  the  hour  of  his 


"FOREWARNED,    FOREARMED  "         147 

supposed  triumph,  and  he  had  told  Varney  every- 
thing. Mazaroff  had  had  a  letter  from  the  countess, 
and  the  countess  had  guessed,  on  finding  her  precious 
papers  missing,  exactly  what  had  happened.  On 
making  inquiries,  Countess  Saens  had  discovered 
that  there  was  a  double  of  Miss  Galloway  somewhere, 
and  she  had  asked  Mazaroff  to  make  sure  of  the  fact. 
And  Mazaroff  was  the  very  man  who  was  wholly 
responsible  for  the  appearance  of  Jessie  Harceurt 
at  Merehaven  House.  But  for  his  flagrant  insult 
of  the  girl  she  would  not  have  been  here  at  all. 
There  was  danger  in  the  air. 

And  the  danger  was  not  lessened  by  the  fact  that 
Jessie  had  not  returned.  People  presently  would 
begin  to  think  it  strange  that  Miss  Galloway  was 
not  to  be  found.  And  if  those  two  came  face  to 
face — Jessie  and  Mazaroff — what  an  explosion  there 
would  be ! 

Well,  forewarned  was  forearmed,  Varney  told 
himself  as  he  walked  back  to  the  house.  Jessie 
would  be  back  before  long,  and  then  the  whole  thing 
must  come  out.  But  Jessie  had  done  good  work,  not 
only  on  behalf  of  her  new  friend  Vera  Galloway,  but 
also  on  behalf  of  England  and  the  peace  of  Europe. 
This  pretty,  resolute,  sharp  girl  had  suddenly  become 
an  important  piece  in  the  great  game  of  diplomatic 
chess.  If  necessary,  Merehaven  must  be  told  every- 
thing. He  must  be  shown  the  absolute  importance 
of  checking  Mazaroff  and  rendering  his  last  stroke 
utterly  futile.  When  Merehaven  came  to  know 
what  had  happened,  he  would  be  compelled  to  stand 
by  the  side  of  Jessie  Harcourt.  It  would  have  to  be 
a  strong  game  of  bluff,  Varney  decided.  Merehaven 
would  be  properly  indignant  when  the  confession 
came ;  he  would  refuse  to  believe  that  his  niece  could 


148        THE    WEIGHT   OF   THE    CROWN 

be  party  to  anything  of  the  kind.  Jessie  could 
come  into  the  room  if  MazarofT  decided  to 
make  an  exposure,  and  sit  with  becoming  dignity. 
She  would  decline  to  listen  to  the  Russian's  prepos- 
terous suggestion,  and  with  all  the  dignity  at  his 
command  Merehaven  would  back  the  girl  up.  Var- 
ney  began  to  chuckle  to  himself  as  he  thought  of 
MazarofF s  discomfiture. 

But  whilst  Mazaroff  was  hunting  round  for  the 
double  of  Miss  Galloway,  never  dreaming  that  she 
also  had  left  the  house,  Merehaven  must  be  warned. 
It  was  a  difficult  matter  to  detach  the  old  diplomat 
from  the  circle  surrounding  him,  but  Varney  suc- 
ceeded at  length. 

"  Now  what  is  the  matter  ?  "  Merehaven  said 
tartly.  "  Another  surprise  ?  Really,  I  seem  to 
be  living  in  an  atmosphere  of  them  to-night,  and  I 
am  getting  too  old  for  these  shocks.  What  is  the 
matter  ?  " 

"  A  great  deal,  or  I  would  not  bother  you  in  this 
way  ?  "  Varney  said.  "  Make  an  excuse  to  get  away 
for  a  few  minutes  and  go  to  your  study.  It  is  ab- 
solutely imperative  that  I  should  have  a  word  or  two 
with  you  before  you  speak  to  Mazaroff  again." 

Merehaven  complied  with  a  sigh  for  his  lost  social 
evening.  He  went  off  in  the  direction  of  his  study, 
but  Varney  did  not  follow  him  direct.  On  the  contrary, 
he  lounged  into  the  garden  intending  to  enter  the 
study  by  the  window,  which  he  knew  to  be  open. 
By  the  time  he  reached  the  garden  he  had  a  full  view 
of  Merehaven  bending  over  his  writing  table  as  if 
dispatching  a  note.  At  the  same  instant  a  figure  rose 
from  behind  a  group  of  rose  trees  and  confronted 
Varney.  As  her  black  wrap  fell  away  he  had  no  diffi- 
culty in  recognizing  the  features  of  Jessie  Harcourt. 


"FOREWARNED,  FOREARMED"    149 

"  I  am  back  again,  you  see,"  she  said  breathlessly. 
"  It  is  such  wonderful  good  fortune  to  meet  you  here 
so  soon,  and  where  we  can  speak  at  once.  -  Dr.  Varney, 
have  I  missed  anything?  Is  there  anything  that 
you  have  to  tell  me  ?  Have  /  been  missed  ? 
Nothing  has  happened  since  I  left  ?  " 

"  Not  till  the  last  moment,"  Varney  said.  "  My 
dear  child,  positively  I  can't  stay  a  moment  to  tell 
you.  It  is  imperative  that  I  should  have  a  few 
words  with  Lord  Merehaven  at  once,  before  Prince 
Mazaroff  can  get  to  him.  Stay  here  under  the 
shadow  of  the  house;  keep  your  wrap  over  your  head. 
Nobody  is  likely  to  come  out  again  to-night.  And 
please  to  listen  to  everything  that  is  going  to  be  said, 
because  the  conversation  will  give  you  the  clue  that 
I  cannot  stay  to  afford  you  now.  Ah !  ' 

Varney  darted  forward  until  he  reached  the  window 
of  the  library,  and  then  he  stumbled  into  the  room  as 
if  he  had  found  his  way  there  quite  by  accident. 
At  the  same  moment  Mazaroff  entered  from  the  hall. 
His  face  was  pale,  his  eyes  glittered  with  something 
of  sneering  triumph.  He  advanced  to  the  writing 
table  and  laid  a  hand  on  Lord  Merehaven's  shoulders. 

"  May  I  ask  your  lordship's  attention  for  a 
moment  ?  "  he  said.  "  I  have  something  important 
and,  I  am  afraid,  very  painful  to  say  to  you. " 

Jessie  strained  her  ears  to  listen. 


CHAPTER   XXII 

THE  TRAIL  GROWS 

AS  Jessie  sat  there  by  the  bedside  of  her  new- 
found friend,  she  hardly  knew  what  to  say. 
It  was  impossible,  after  all  that  Jessie  had  seen  and 
heard,  to  believe  that  the  papers  so  boldly  purloined 
by  Vera  Galloway  were  not  of  the  least  importance. 
Otherwise  there  would  not  have  been  all  those  alarms 
and  excursions,  and  most  assuredly  Countess  Saens 
would  have  made  no  attempt  to  get  into  the  hospital. 
Vera  had  handled  the  missing  Foreign  Office  docu- 
ments beyond  a  doubt. 

"  Cannot  you  recollect  anything  about  them  ?  " 
Jessie  urged. 

"  Absolutely  nothing  at  all,"  Vera  replied.  "  You 
see,  I  was  so  utterly  overcome  by  the  success  of  my 
daring  exploit  that  I  was  half  dazed.  I  had  saved 
the  situation,  and  I  had  saved  Charlie  Maxwell 
also.  I  suppose  I  must  have  crossed  Piccadilly  in  a 
dream.  Then  there  was  a  violent  shock,  and  I  came 
to  my  senses ;  but  only  fora  moment, and  then  I  was 
utterly  unconscious  till  I  arrived  here.  I  had  just 
sense  enough  left  to  remember  that  I  was  called 
'  Harcourt,'  and  there  it  ended." 

"  And  yet   I   suppose    all  your  underlinen   is 
marked  ?  "  Jessie  suggested. 

*'  Only  with  a  monogram,  one  of  those  intricate 
things  that  nobody  could  possibly  understand.  But 
look  round,  and  see  if  you  can  find  any  trace  of  those 
papers.  In  a  vague  way  I  remember  clutching 
them  tightly  in  my  hand  as  the  cab  struck  me." 


ISO 


THE   TRAIL   GROWS  151 

But  there  were  no  papers  to  be  seen.  The  nurse 
knew  nothing  of  them ,  and  the  hall  porter  was  equally 
sure  that  the  patient  carried  nothing  as  she  entered 
the  hospital.  Doubtless  they  had  fallen  in  the  road 
and  had  been  picked  up  by  somebody  who  would  not 
have  the  slightest  idea  of  the  value  of  their  contents. 
It  was  so  cruelly  hard  that  the  tears  rose  to  Vera's 
eyes. 

"  It  does  seem  terrible,"  she  said,  "after  all  the  risk 
and  all  the  danger.  I  could  cry  out  when  I  think 
of  it,  I  could  sit  up  in  bed  and  scream.  And  to  think 
that  those  documents  are  perhaps  lying  in  the  gutter 
at  this  very  moment !  Jessie,  is  there  nothing  you 
can  do  ? " 

"  I  can  have  faith  and  courage,"  Jessie  replied. 
**  I  will  ask  Dr.  Varney  what  is  best  to  be  done.  At  any 
rate,  there  is  one  way  in  which  we  have  the  better  of 
our  foes.  They  know  that  the  papers  are  stolen, 
but  they  don't  know  that  they  have  been  lost  again. 
I  dare  say  Dr.  Varney  will  think  of  a  plan.  But  I 
cannot  believe  that  Mr.  Maxwell  was  guilty.  I  saw 
him  just  now,  as  I  told  you,  and  I  am  quite  certain 
that  he  is  no  traitor  to  his  country." 

"  I  hope  not, "  Vera  said.  "  It  seems  almost 
incredible.  When  Charlie's  face  rises  up  before  me, 
1  feel  that  I  have  been  dreaming.  Yet  I  know  that  he 
has  been  exceedingly  friendly  with  the  Countess 
Saens.  There  was  assuredly  a  kind  of  flirtation 
between  them.  I  tried  to  believe  that  I  was  need- 
lessly jealous.  I  should  have  thought  no  more  about 
it  until  I  received  that  anonymous  letter " 

"  Anonymous  letter  !  "  Jessie  exclaimed.  "  That 
is  the  first  time  that  you  have  mentioned  it  at  all 
to  me." 

"  Because  I  forget.    As  a  matter  of  fact,  I  had 


152        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

no  opportunity.  It  was  only  just  before  I  came  to 
you  in  my  distress  and  trouble.  The  letter  was 
beautifully  written  on  very  good  paper.  I  am 
quite  sure  that  it  emanated  from  a  lady  of  education. 
It  simply  said  that  if  I  would  save  the  man  I  loved 
from  ruin,  I  had  better  contrive  to  find  my  way  into 
the  Countess 'Saens's  bedroom  to-night  between  the 
hours  of  nine  and  eleven.  Also,  I  was  to  open  the 
second  drawer  of  the  Dutch  cabinet,  the  key  of  which 
I  should  find  on  the  top  of  the  clock.  You  see,  I 
had  heard  my  uncle  mention  this  Asturian  trouble. 
The  queen  was  a  friend  of  mine,  and  I  divined 
what  was  going  to  happen.  I  tried  to  see  Charlie, 
but  I  was  baffled  there. 

"  Then  you  came  into  my  mind,  and  I  determined 
to  put  a  desperate  resolve  into  execution.  I  knew 
Countess  Saens's  house  well ;  she  took  it  furnished 
from  some  friends  of  ours,  and  I  had  been  in  every 
room  there.  I  knew  the  countess  was  coming  to  my 
aunt's  party.  And  when  I  started  out  on  my  errand 
I  was  more  or  less  in  the  dark  until  I  heard  those 
dreadful  newsboys  proclaiming  the  tragedy.  Then 
one  or  two  hints  dropped  by  the  Queen  of  Asturia 
came  back  to  me,  and  I  knew  then  the  import  of  my 
mission.  That  mission  was  accomplished,  as  you 
know.  How  I  failed  at  the  very  last  moment  you 
already  know." 

"  But  I  am  not  going  to  admit  that  you  have  failed," 
Jessie  urged.  "  There  can  be  no  question  of  the 
fact  that  you  dropped  those  papers.  It  is  equally 
certain  that  somebody  picked  them  up.  They  would 
be  nothing  to  an  outsider,  who  would  probably  take 
*hem  to  Scotland  Yard.  I  decline  to  admit  that  we 
axe  beaten  yet." 

"  It  is  very  good  of  you  to  say  so,"  Vera  said 


THE   TRAIL   GROWS  153 

gratefully.  "  You  will  have  to  play  my  part  till 
to-morrow,  when  Dr  Varney  must  contrive  to  come 
and  see  me.  He  will  have  to  certify  that  I  am  quite 
well  enough  to  be  moved,  and  then  I  shall  proceed  in 
a  cab  to  your  lodgings,  still  passing  as  Jessie  Harcourt. 
You  will  write  to  your  sister  and  ask  her  to  be 
prepared.  Then  you  will  come  home  and  we  will 
change  clothes  once  more,  so  that  nobody  will  be  any 
the  wiser.  Don't  worry  about  anything ;  be  prepared 
and  silent,  and  leave  matters  to  my  maid.  And  never 
again  so  long  as  I  live  shall  you  want  a  friend,  Jessie. 
God  bless  you !  " 

Jessie  rose  and  kissed  the  tearful  face  of  the 
speaker.  The  nurse  was  hovering  about  again 
with  a  suggestion  that  it  was  high  time  the  visitor 
departed.  Jessie  blessed  the  long  black  wrap  and 
hood  that  Varney's  foresight  had  provided  her 
with,  seeing  that  she  would  have  to  walk  home. 
She  would  not  have  been  afraid  under  ordinary 
circumstances,  but  the  spectacle  of  a  well  dressed 
woman  walking  in  that  guise  at  dead  of  night  was 
likely  to  attract  attention.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
it  did  attract  attention,  for  a  man  passed  Jessie  at 
the  hospital  door. 

"  Don't  be  alarmed,"  he  said.  "  It  is  I— Charles 
Maxwell.  Glad  to  find  that  a  turned-up  collar  and 
hat  pulled  over  the  eyes  makes  so  much  difference. 
How  is  she  Miss — Miss " 

Maxwell  boggled  over  the  name,  and  Jessie  did 
not  help  him.  Miss  Galloway  was  going  on  very  well 
indeed,  but  she  had  had  her  perilous  errand  for  no- 
thing. There  was  no  object  whatever  in  Mr.  Maxwell 
committing  a  second  attack  on  the  house  of  the 
countess,  seeing  that  the  precious  documents 
had  already  been  abstracted  by  Vera  Galloway. 


154        THE    WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

That  Miss  Galloway  had  lost  the  papers  made  no 
difference. 

"  That's  very  unfortunate,"  Maxwell  said  with 
a  little  sigh.  "  A  brave  and  daring  action  like  that 
should  have  been  fully  rewarded.  Still,  it  gives  us 
breathing  time ;  it  enables  me  to  defy  the  foe.  Let 
me  walk  back  with  you  as  far  as  the  garden  gate  of 
Merehaven  House.  We  shall  pass  the  residence  of 
Countess  Saens  on  the  way,  and  we  may  notice 
something." 

Jessie  had  no  objection  to  make.  On  the  contrary, 
she  was  glad  of  a  male  companion.  Usually  she  did 
not  mind  being  out  late ;  but  then  she  was  not 
dressed  for  society,  and  the  shoes  she  wore  were  not 
satin  ones  with  o1  J  paste  buckles. 

Very  silently  they  walked  along  the  now  deserted 
streets.  Then  Maxwell  paused,  and  indicated  a  house 
on  the  opposite  side  of  the  road.  A  brilliant  light 
burned  in  the  hall,  and  in  the  dining-room  the  electrics 
were  fully  on.  The  lace  blinds  were  half  down,  and 
beyond  the  bank  of  Parma  violets  and  maidenhair 
fern  in  the  window  boxes  it  was  possible  to  obtain 
a  glimpse  into  the  room. 

"  The  countess  is  at  home,"  Maxwell  whispered. 
"I  know  that  for  certain.  I  don't  fancy  she  has 
gone  out  again,  for  a  messenger  boy  was  summoned 
to  the  house.  Ah,  there  she  is  !  " 

By  stooping  a  little  it  was  possible  to  see  the 
figure  of  the  countess.  She  had  discarded  her 
jewels  and  her  flowers ;  she  had  a  tiny  cigarette  in 
her  mouth.  She  took  her  place  at  a  table  and 
seemed  to  be  writing  something.  Presently  a  man 
entered  the  room — a  slight  man,  with  a  pale  face  and 
a  mass  of  flame-coloured  hair  on  his  head ;  across 
bis  gleaming  white  shirt  an  order  or  two  glittered. 


THE   TRAIL   GROWS  155 

Maxwell  grasped  Jessie's  arm  j  he  spoke  with  a 
fierce  indrawing  of  his  breath. 

"  Do  you  see  that  ?  "  he  whispered  "  Do  you 
recognize  anybody  hi  that  figure  standing  there — 
the  man,  I  mean  ?  " 

"  The  King  of  Asturia,"  Jessie  replied  promptly. 
It  was  not  possible  to  be  quite  certain  at  that 
distance,  but  the  dining-room  was  flooded  with 
light.  Beyond  doubt  here  was  the  ruler  of  Asturia, 
whom  Jessie  had  left  not  so  long  before  in  a  state 
of  collapse. 

"  Look  at  him,"  Maxwell  said  in  tones  of  the 
deepest  contempt.  "  Look  at  the  smiling  scoun- 
drel. And  yet  to  save  him  and  his  kingdom  one 
of  the  noblest  women  in  England  is  risking  her  all. 
For  his  sake  General  Maxgregor  does  outrage  to 
his  feelings  and  conceals  his  passionate  love  for  the 
queen.  I  would  give  ten  years  of  my  life  to  know 
what  is  going  on  there." 

It  was  impossible  to  hear,  however,  It  was  also 
impossible  to  see  anything  from  the  near  side  of  the 
road.  Jessie's  anger  was  almost  as  passionate  as 
that  of  her  companion.  It  seemed  a  lamentable 
thing  that  the  King  of  Asturia  should  be  so  lost 
to  all  sense  of  his  position.  And  he  must  have 
known  that  he  was  making  himself  quite  at  home 
in  the  house  of  his  deadliest  enemy. 


M 


CHAPTER   XXIII 

GENERAL  MAXGREGOR 

AXWELL'S  coolness  had  come  back  to  him 
again.  His  face  was  alert  and  vigorous  ;  his 
anger  had  gone. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  I  shall  have  to  ask  you  to  go 
on  alone,"  he  said.  "  In  the  face  of  this  discovery 
I  do  not  see  my  way  to  lose  this  opportunity.  The 
king  cannot  stay  here  long ;  you  will  see  that  it  is 
impossible  for  Countess  Saens  to  run  any  further 
risks.  I  am  going  to  wait." 

Jessie  felt  that  she  would  like  to  wait  also,  but 
duty  was  urging  her  elsewhere.  She  stood  irreso- 
lute just  a  moment  as  a  figure  came  down  the 
street,  and  pausing  before  the  house  opposite,  whistled 
a  bar  from  some  comic  opera.  Maxwell  touched 
Jessie's  arm. 

"  Just  a  minute,"  he  said.  "  Cling  to  me  as  if  we 
were  saying  good-night.  Unless  I  am  greatly 
mistaken,  the  whistle  was  no  more  than  a  signal. 
Ah,  that  is  what  I  thought !  Evidently  all  the 
servants  have  gone  to  bed,  for  here  is  the  countess 
herself." 

The  countess  opened  the  door  and  stood  on  the 
step  with  the  light  behind  her.  The  man  stopped 
whistling  and  walked  up  the  steps.  He  saluted 
the  countess  properly. 

"  So  you  are  here  at  last !  "  she  said.  The  night 
was  so  close  and  still  that  her  voice  was  easily 
carried  across  the  road.  "  I  thought  that  you  were 
never  coming.  Take  this  note  and  see  that  Prince 


GENERAL   MAXGREGOR  157 

Mazarofl  has  it  without  delay.  You  will  be  able  to 
give  him  the  signal.  See  it  goes  into  his  own  hand. 
Oh,  yes,  Merehaven  House.  The  best  way  will  be  by 
the  garden  door.  You  know  where  that  is." 

The  man  nodded,  and  said  something  in  Russian 
that  the  listeners  could  not  follow.  Then  he 
lounged  off  up  the  road  and  the  countess  vanished. 
Maxwell  was  all  energy. 

"  Come  along,"  he  said.  "  I  have  changed  my 
mind.  What  the  king  does  for  the  next  few  hours 
must  be  on  his  own  head  and  on  his  own  account. 
It  is  far  greater  importance  for  me  to  know  what 
message  it  is  that  the  countess  has  sent  to  Prince 
Mazarofi.  We  will  walk  quickly  and  get  ahead  of 
that  fellow,  so  that  I  can  hide  myself  in  the  garden 
before  he  comes.  We  shall  probably  find  that 
the  signal  is  a  bar  or  two  of  the  same  opera  that 
our  man  was  whistling  just  now.  Unless  fortune 
plays  me  a  very  sorry  trick,  I  shall  see  the  inside 
of  that  letter  within  half  an  hour." 

The  slouching  figure  of  the  unconscious  Russian 
was  passed  in  a  perfectly  natural  way.  Maxwell 
glanced  at  him  sideways,  and  saw  that  he  had 
slipped  the  letter  into  his  breast  pocket.  The 
garden  gate  leading  into  the  grounds  of  Merehaven 
House  was  safely  reached,  and  Jessie  drew  a  sigh 
of  relief  as  she  threw  off  her  wrap  and  cast  it  on  a 
seat.  If  anybody  saw  her  now  it  would  be  assumed 
that  she  had  come  out  for  a  breath  of  fresh  air. 

She  saw  the  lights  streaming  from  the  library 
window,  she  saw  the  little  group  there,  and  she  drew 
nearer.  She  heard  enough  to  tell  her  that  she  was 
in  deadly  peril  of  being  discovered.  If  Mazaroff 
was  not  stopped,  if  he  persisted  in  his  determination, 
the  fraud  must  be  exposed. 


158        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

What  was  to  be  done  ?  Something  would  have 
to  be  done,  and  speedily.  Varney  could  be  trusted 
to  stave  off  the  evil  moment  as  long  as  possible. 
If  she  could  come  and  spoil  MazarofP s  game  ? 
The  idea  came  to  Jessie  like  a  flash — she  tingled  with  it. 

The  queen  !  Who  else  but  the  Queen  of  Asturia  ? 
Jessie  raced  round  and  reached  the  house.  She 
hoped  that  she  would  not  be  too  late ;  she  prayed 
that  the  queen  had  not  gone.  There  she  was,  on  the 
couch  of  the  salon,  quiet  and  dignified  as  usual, 
but  her  dark  eyes  were  alert.  She  looked  about  her 
from  time  to  time  as  if  seeking  something.  Greatly 
daring,  Jessie  made  a  sign.  With  her  forefinger 
she  actually  beckoned  to  the  queen !  But  there 
was  no  sign  of  offended  displeasure  in  the  face  of 
royalty.  On  the  contrary,  the  queen  rose,  and 
making  some  excuse  walked  to  the  door.  Once 
outside  her  manner  changed  entirely.  Her  face 
grew  haggard,  her  eyes  had  a  hunted  expression. 

"  Wliat  is  it  ?  "  she  asked.  "  Something  very 
wrong,  or  you  would  never.  .  .  But  never  mind 
that.  Speak  plainly,  and  I  will  do  anything  I  can 
to  assist.  Ay,  menial  work,  if  necessary." 

"  There  is  no  necessity,  madame,"  Jessie  said 
breathlessly.  "  Nor  have  I  time  to  explain.  That 
will  come  later.  Prince  Mazaroff  has  made  what 
he  deems  to  be  a  most  important  discovery.  It 
is  nothing  like  so  important  as  he  thinks,  but  its 
disclosure  at  the  present  moment  would  ruin 
all  our  plans.  He  is  telling  Lord  Merehaven  all 
about  it  now  in  the  library.  Lord  Merehaven  is 
an  English  gentleman  first  and  a  diplomatist  after- 
wards, and  he  would  insist  upon  having  the  whole 
thing  cleared  up.  Could  you  not  make  a  diversion  ? 
Could  you  not  interrupt,  get  Mazaroff  out  of  the 


GENERAL   MAXGREGOR  159 

way  if  only  for  half  an  hour  ?     Time  is  precious." 

"  It  is  very  vague,"  said  the  queen  quietly. 
"  At  the  same  time,  I  can  see  that  you  are  in  deadly 
earnest.  I  will  go  to  the  library  myself  at  once." 

The  queen  moved  along  the  corridor  swiftly, 
as  she  used  to  do  in  her  mountain  home  long  before 
she  felt  the  weight  of  the  crown  on  her  brows.  She 
forced  a  smile  to  her  face  as  she  entered.  Lord 
Merehaven  was  listening  gravely  and  with  a  puzzled 
frown  to  Mazaroff.  Varney  stood  by  laughing 
with  the  air  of  a  man  who  is  vastly  amused. 

"  I  don't  think  Lord  Merehaven  understands," 
he  said.  "  Champagne,  my  dear  prince,  champagne 
in  moderation  is  an  excellent  thing.  But  when  in- 
dulged in  three  times  a  day " 

"  I  shall  be  glad  if  Miss  Galloway  will  be  pleased 
to  grace  us  with  her  presence,"  Mazaroff  said. 

"  Would  I  not  do  instead  ? "  the  queen  said  as 
she  looked  in.  She  was  smiling  gaily  as  she  entered. 
She  seemed  to  have  utterly  abandoned  herself  to  the 
gaiety  of  the  moment.  "  Miss  Galloway  is  doing 
something  for  me,  and  I  could  not  spare  her  for  the 
next  half  hour.  After  that  we  are  both  at  your 
disposal.  Positively,  I  cannot  permit  three  of  the 
cleverest  and  most  brilliant  men  in  the  house  to  be 
seeking  each  other's  society  in  that  selfish  manner. 
You  have  quite  forgotten  those  stamps,  my  lord  !  " 

"  Bless  my  soul,  so  I  have  ! "  Merehaven  exclaimed. 
"  I  beg  your  majesty's  pardon.  Mazaroff  was 
saying " 

"  What  Mazaroff  was  saying  will  keep,"  that 
individual  muttered  significantly.  "There  is  no 
hurry ;  and  the  mere  idea  of  keeping  her  majesty 
waiting " 

He  bowed  and  smiled.    It  was  quite  clear  to 


r6o        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

Jessie,  who  was  once  more  outside  the  window, 
that  the  Russian  had  no  idea  that  anything  but 
accident  had  postponed  his  accusation.  He  was 
talking  to  Varney  now  in  the  most  natural  manner. 
With  her  hand  under  his  arm  the  queen  had  led 
Merehaven  away.  Presently  Mazaroff  made  an 
excuse  and  followed.  Jessie  stepped  into  the  room. 

"  That  was  a  very  near  thing,  my  dear,"  Varney 
said  coolly.  "  If  the  queen  had  not  come  in — 

"  I  fetched  her,"  Jessie  said.  "  By  great  good 
luck  I  was  by  the  window  at  the  time.  Keep 
Mazaroff' s  mouth  sealed  to-night,  and  by  this  time 
to-morrow,  when  he  is  confronted  with  Vera  Galloway, 
he  will  see  the  real  Vera  and  nobody  else." 

"  Then  you  have  been  quite  successful  in  your 
mission  ?  '*  Varney  asked  eagerly. 

Jessie  proceeded  to  explain,  and  as  she  did  so 
Varney's  face  grew  grave.  But  after  all,  he  reflected, 
things  are  not  quite  so  bad  as  they  might  be. 
The  enemy  was  utterly  at  a  loss,  and  could  not 
possibly  know  that  those  papers  had  vanished. 

"  You  have  done  wonderfully  well  between  you," 
Varney  said  at  length.  "  What  was  that  ?  I 
fancied  that  I  saw  the  shadow  of  a  man  lurking  in 
the  garden.  Just  by  those  mimosa  tubs." 

Surely  enough  a  shadow  flitted  along,  and  some- 
body began  softly  whistling  a  few  bars  of  an  opera. 
Hardly  was  the  first  bar  on  the  man's  lips  before 
another  man  dashed  forward  and  struck  the  whistler 
to  the  ground.  There  was  a  struggle,  the  sound 
of  a  blow  or  two,  a  suggestion  of  punishment  for 
loafers  hanging  about  there  with  a  felonious  in- 
tention, and  the  figure  of  the  first  man  rose  and 
ran  headlong  down  the  garden.  In  the  distance  the 
clang  of  the  wooden  door  could  be  heard. 


w 


'Another   man   dashed   forward   and   struck    the   whistler   to   the 
ground." 


The  Weight  of  the  Crown.— Page  160 


GENERAL   MAXGREGOR  161 

"  We  had  better  see  into  this,"  Varney  cried. 
"  If  this  is  some  cunning  game  of  some  gang  of 
thieves ?  " 

"  It  is  nothing  of  the  kind,"  Jessie  said  tran- 
quilly. "  That  is  Mr.  Charles  Maxwell.  We  had 
better  go  and  see  if  he  has  succeeded.  I  will  tell 
you  presently  what  it  all  means.  If  he  has  only 
obtained  possession  of  that  letter  without  the 
thief  knowing  that  the  robbery  was  intentional !  .  .  . 
Come  along !  " 

Varney  followed,  greatly  excited.  In  the  shadow 
of  an  alcove  seat  Maxwell  stood  with  a  small  black 
envelope  in  his  hand.  He  advanced  coolly  to 
Varney. 

"  This  was  intended  for  Mazaroff,"  he  explained. 
"  It  was  sent  to  him  by  Countess  Saens.  I  fancy 
that  I  have  managed  this  without  yonder  tool 
suspecting  anything.  This  young  lady  will  tell  you 
all  about  it  presently.  Let  us  open  the  letter." 

The  letter  contained  nothing  worse  than  a  visit- 
ing card,  with  only  a  few  words  written  on  it.  As 
Maxwell  held  it  up  to  the  light  the  others  could 
see  perfectly  : — 

"  I  am  sending  this  by  a  sure  hand.  The  key 
of  the  situation  lies  with  General  Maxgregor. 
Follow  him  up  without  delay,  for  time  is  all  against 
us." 


CHAPTER   XXIV 

AT  THE  WINDOW 

MAXWELL  turned  over  the  card  thoughtfully 
and  studied  the  neat  handwriting  thereon. 

"  We  are  dealing  with  one  of  the  cleverest  women 
in  Europe,"  he  said.  "See  how  wonderfully  she 
recovers  her  mistakes  and  picks  up  the  tracks 
again.  But  I  don't  see  that  Maxgregor  can  have 
anything  to  do  with  it.  What  do  you  say,  doctor  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  that  Maxgregor  had  a  great  deal 
to  do  with  it,"  Varney  replied.  "If  he  were  not  a 
deadly  foe  to  these  people  here,  there  would  have 
been  no  attempt  to  shoot  him  as  there  was  to-night. 
Do  you  think  that  he  has  been  tracked  back  to  his 
lodgings  ?  " 

"  I  should  say  not,"  Jessie  put  in.  "I  was  veiy 
careful  about  that.  I  told  you  all  about  the  fair 
woman  in  the  lane,  and  the  way  I  prevented  her  from 
following  the  General  when  he  went  away  in  the 
ill-fitting  evening  dress  of  the  king.  But  there  might 
have  been  spies  who " 

"  I  don't  think  so,"  Varney  interrupted.  "  Evi- 
dently these  people  have  found  out  that  Maxgregor 
blocks  the  way.  Depend  upon  it  that  the  report 
has  gone  out  to  the  effect  that  the  king  has  left 
here — or  so  Countess  Saens  thinks.  She  calculated 
that  Maxgregor  is  still  here,  because  the  messenger 
is  sent  to  Mazaroff  at  the  house.  If  they  knew 
that  Maxgregor  was  lying  wounded  at  his  lodgings, 
they  would  work  at  their  leisure  and  there  would 
have  been  no  occasion  to  send  that  letter  here." 


AT  THE   WINDOW  163 

"  Which  must  not  miscarry,"  Maxwell  sug- 
gested. "  If  it  does  they  will  never  think  that 
the  whole  affair  is  an  accident.  My  idea  is  that 
Mazaroff  must  have  that  letter  and  never  imagine 
for  a  moment  that  we  have  read  it.  We  can  see 
that  Maxgregor  comes  to  no  harm." 

Varney  was  disposed  to  regard  the  suggestion 
as  a  good  one.  But  before  doing  anything  he 
would  like  to  discuss  the  matter  with  Lechmere. 
Maxwell's  face  fell. 

"  In  that  case  I  will  stay  here  till  you  have 
finished,"  he  said.  "  I  don't  feel  much  like  facing 
anybody  at  present,  though  I  am  as  innocent  of 
this  business  as  a  child." 

"  What  nonsense  !  "  Varney  cried.  "  This  is  no 
time  to  stand  on  ceremony.  Lechmere  is  a  man 
of  the  world  and  a  friend  of  yours.  He  is  not  in 
the  least  likely  to  condemn  you  until  the  charge 
is  proved.  I  appreciate  your  feelings,  but  an 
empire  is  at  stake." 

Without  another  word  the  doctor  slipped  away 
and  returned  presently  with  Lechmere.  He  nodded 
in  his  cool,  collected  way  at  Maxwell  as  if  nothing 
had  happened. 

"  I  have  no  doubt  we  shall  get  to  the  bottom  of 
this  business  between  us,"  he  said.  "  Varney  has 
been  telling  me  what  has  happened.  I  am  quite  of 
your  opinion,  Maxwell,  that  Mazaroff  must  have 
that  letter.  When  he  has  read  it  he  shall  be  watched 
and  followed." 

"  But  how  to  get  it  into  the  fellow's  hands  without 
suspicion  ?  "  Maxwell  asked. 

"  That  is  easy  enough.  I  suppose  you  acted  on 
the  spur  of  the  moment,  but  you  were  foolish  to  tear 
that  envelope  open  without  steaming  it.  For- 


164        THE   WEIGHT   OF  THE   CROWN 

tunately  the  envelope  seems  to  have  many  counter^ 
parts  in  Lord  Merehaven's  study,  and  luckily  it  is 
a  different  texture  to  the  correspondence  card  on 
which  the  message  is  written.  Amongst  my  many 
gifts  is  a  fair  talent  for  copying  the  handwriting 
of  other  people.  I'll  get  this  fixed  up.  When  the 
thing  is  done  one  of  the  guests  shall  hand  the  letter 
to  Mazaroff  and  say  that  he  had  picked  it  up  in  the 
garden.  I  think  I'll  select  a  lady  for  the  part. 
Stay  here  for  a  moment." 

A  little  later  on,  and  somebody  touched  Mazaroff 's 
arm  as  he  was  watching  a  game  of  bridge  in  the 
card  room.  He  turned  to  see  a  pretty  girl  standing 
by  and  smiling  into  his  face.  She  held  a  letter  in 
her  hand. 

"  I  fancy  this  is  for  you,  Prince  Mazaroff,"  she  said. 
"  I  picked  it  up  in  the  garden.  On  the  whole,  I 
came  very  near  to  having  an  adventure  over  it." 

Mazaroff  glanced  at  the  envelope  and  his  eyes 
gleamed.  Then  quite  leisurely  he  tore  off  the  ends 
and  read  the  message.  He  smiled  in  a  careless  way, 
as  if  the  message  were  of  no  importance. 

"  I  am  sorry  there  was  any  danger,"  he  said, 
"  especially  as  the  note  is  so  trivial.  Where  does  the 
adventure  come  in  ?  " 

"  You  have  destroyed  my  romance,"  the  girl 
laughed.  "  I  suppose  it  was  the  messenger  who 
brought  this  letter  for  you,  and  not  a  burglar  after 
all.  I  expect  the  messenger  made  a  mistake  and 
came  into  the  garden  by  the  door  leading  from  the 
lane.  Anyway,  a  gardener  pounced  upon  him  and 
the  man  fled.  It  was  quite  thrilling  to  look  at,  I 
assure  you.  When  I  had  recovered  from  my  fright 
I  saw  that  letter  on  the  grass.  Then  the  real  solution 
of  the  mystery  burst  in  upon  me." 


AT   THE   WINDOW  165 

Mazaroff  laughed  as  if  he  enjoyed  the  story.  His 
face  grew  a  little  grave. 

"  I  should  not  tell  anybody  if  I  were  you,"  he  said. 
"  It  isn't  many  women  here  who  have  your  pluck. 
If  they  know  they  will  fight  shy  of  the  garden,  and 
many  a  promising  flirtation  will  be  spoilt.  And 
flirtations  very  often  lead  to  marriage,  you  know." 

The  girl  laughed  in  her  turn  and  flitted  away. 
Lechmere  stood  by  the  doorway  awaiting  her. 

"  You  did  it  very  well,"  he  said.  "  You  are  a 
born  actress,  Miss  Cheylesmere.  Oh,  yes,  the  joke 
develops ;  you  shall  play  your  part  in  it.  Now, 
I  want  you  to  keep  an  eye  upon  Mazaroff,  and  if 
he  leaves  the  house  let  me  know  at  once." 

Lechmere  strolled  off,  pleased  with  the  way  in 
which  events  were  going,  and  quite  certain  that 
Mazaroff  had  not  the  slightest  idea  what  had  hap- 
pened. A  pretty  scheme  was  evolving  itself  in  his 
mind.  He  went  back  to  the  study,  where  the 
others  were  awaiting  him. 

"  So  far  so  good,"  he  said.  "  Mazaroff  has  re- 
ceived his  letter  without  guessing  what  we  know 
of  it.  At  the  present  moment  he  is  hunting  all  over 
the  place  for  Maxgregor,  ignorant  of  the  fact  that 
Maxgregor  has  gone  long  ago.  Mazaroff  will  ask 
Lady  Merehaven  if  the  General  has  gone,  and  she 
will  naturally  say  no,  as  the  General  did  not  wish 
her  good-night.  Mazaroff  will  be  quite  certain  that 
Maxgregor  would  never  commit  such  a  social  slip, 
so  that  I  confidently  hope  that  he  will  continue 
his  hunt." 

"  But  surely  there  is  a  much  more  important 
thing  to  do  ?  "  Jessie  exclaimed.  "  Mr.  Maxwell, 
have  you  forgotten  whom  we  saw  in  the  drawing- 
room  with  Countess  Saens  just  now  ?  " 


166        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  I  had  forgotten,"  Maxwell  admitted.  "  Miss— 
er — Harcourt  told  me  that  the  King  of  Asturia  was 
here.  She  went  on  to  say  that  he  was  not  only 
here,  but  in  such  a  condition  that  he  would  have  to 
stay  all  night  and  be  conveyed  home  in  a  cab. 
Why  was  he  shamming  ?  " 

"Shamming!"  Varney  cried.  "I'll  stake  my 
professional  reputation  that  the  king  was  not 
shamming.  He  has  had  some  near  shaves  during 
the  time  he  has  been  under  my  care,  but  never  has 
he  been  nearer  to  death's  door  than  he  was  to-night. 
I  sincerely  believe  that  it  was  only  the  adminis- 
tration of  a  very  powerful  drug  that  saved  him." 

"  I  know,  I  know,"  Jessie  cried.  "I  saw  a  good 
deal  of  it  myself.  When  I  left  him  the  king  wras 
unconscious.  And  yet  not  half  an  hour  ago  I  saw 
him  in  the  Countess  Saens's  dining-room." 

Varney  and  Lechmere  smiled  incredibly.  They 
both  shook  their  heads. 

"  Impossible !  "  the  former  said.  "  Quite  impos- 
sible, my  dear  young  lady.  For  the  last  hour, 
or  nearly  an  hour,  the  King  of  Asturia  has  been  in 
this  house  clothed  and  in  his  right  mind.  It  was  I 
who  brought  him  downstairs.  It  was  I  who  pro- 
duced his  majesty  to  the  utter  confusion  of  Mazar- 
off  and  Gleikstein,  the  Russian  charge  d'affaires. 
You  must  have  been  utterly  mistaken." 

"  It  was  no  mistake,"  Maxwell  put  in.  "  I  have 
seen  the  king  often  enough  here  and  elsewhere. 
I  am  prepared  to  swear  in  any  court  of  justice  that 
within  the  last  half  hour  I  have  seen  the  King  of 
Asturia  in  close  companionship  with  Countess  Saens 
in  her  own  house." 

Varney  and  Lechmere  looked  a  little  bewildered. 
There  still  appeared  to  be  cards  in  the  game  of 


AT   THE   WINDOW  167 

which  they  knew  nothing.  Varney  was  about  to 
speak  when  Lechmere  touched  his  arm  and  indicated 
two  figures  that  had  just  entered  the  study. 

"  To  prove  that  you  two  are  mistaken,"  he  said, 
"  look  there.  If  you  know  the  King  of  Asturia  so 
well,  perhaps  you  will  tell  me  who  that  is  ?  " 

"The  king,"  Maxwell  cried.  "And  the  queen. 
And  yet  I  am  ready  to  swear.  .  .  You  don't 
think  that  he  might  have  slipped  out  and " 

"  No,  I  don't,"  Lechmere  said  curtly.  "  As  a 
matter  of  fact,  his  majesty  is  being  too  carefully 
watched  for  that.  He  has  been  here  all  the  time, 
I  assure  you." 

"  It's  like  a  dream,"  Jessie  said.  "  The  king 
is  in  two  places  at  once.  And  seeing  that  that  is 
the  king,  who  was  the  man  we  saw  in  Countess 
Saens's  dining-room  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XXV 

AN   UNEXPECTED   HONOUR 

THE  question  was  asked  a  great  deal  easier 
than  it  could  be  answered.  Only  Lechmere 
smiled. 

"  I  fancy  I  could  give  a  pretty  shrewd  guess," 
he  said.  "  The  countess  has  been  inspired  by  a  dis- 
covery that  she  has  made  to-night,  and  a  double 
of  the  king  might  prove  very  useful  under  certain 
circumstances.  And  in  spite  of  what  this  young 
lady  says  as  to  the  way  she  baffled  the  hired  spy  in 
the  lane,  I  fancy  the  countess  has  an  inkling  of  the 
truth.  We  have  pretty  well  established  the  fact 
that  the  king  started  out  this  afternoon  with  certain 
papers  in  his  pocket." 

"  Probably  an  abdication  of  his  throne  in  the 
interests  of  Russia,"  Maxwell  said. 

"  Precisely.  He  was  hesitating  as  to  whether  he 
should  sign  or  not.  He  goes  to  some  gambling  hell 
and  gets  exceedingly  intoxicated  there.  The  idea 
was  probably  to  force  a  signature  out  of  him  as  soon 
as  he  was  in  a  fit  state  to  hold  a  pen.  Then  a  vast 
amount  of  money  would  have  changed  hands.  The 
king  would  have  been  invited  to  drink  again,  and 
perhaps  have  recovered  without  having  the  least 
idea  where  he  was  for  the  next  few  days.  In  a  word, 
he  would  have  disappeared.  In  four  and  twenty 
hours  all  Europe  would  have  heard  of  the  abdication. 
Now,  where  are  those  papers  now  ?  The  king  cer- 
tainly had  them  in  his  possession  when  he  was 
rescued  from  the  gambling  hell." 

168 


AN   UNEXPECTED   HONOUR  169 

"  I  wish  you  had  looked,"  Maxwell  said.  "  If 
I  had  known  this  earlier ! " 

"  Unfortunately,  nobody  knew  of  it,"  Lechmere 
proceeded.  "  Only  our  enemies.  And  when  Max- 
gregor  went  off  from  here  in  the  king's  dress  clothes, 
he  took  the  papers  in  the  pockets.  If  Madame  Saens 
has  an  idea  of  what  has  happened,  she  knows  this. 
Hence  her  note  to  Mazaroff.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
our  friend  the  General  is  in  considerable  peril." 

"  In  which  case  somebody  ought  to  go  to  him  at 
once,"  Jessie  exclaimed. 

Lechmere  announced  his  intention  of  doing  so  with- 
out delay,  but  Maxwell  objected.  It  would  be  far 
better  for  Lechmere  to  stay  here  and  keep  an  eye  on 
Mazaroff.  And  Maxwell  was  supposed  to  be  out  oi 
the  way,  nobody  would  give  him  a  second  thought ; 
therefore  he  was  the  best  man  for  the  purpose. 
Varney  was  warmly  in  favour  of  this  suggestion, 
and  Lechmere  had  no  further  objection  to  offer. 

"  Let  it  go  at  that,"  he  said.  "  And  the  sooner 
you  are  off  the  better.  There  is  one  great  point 
in  our  favour,  these  people  can  do  nothing  very 
harmful  so  long  as  those  papers  are  missing.  I  mean 
the  Foreign  Office  papers  stolen  from  Countess 
Saens's  bedroom.  If  we  could  get  them  back " 

"  They  must  be  got  back,"  Varney  said.  "  The 
best  I  can  do  is  to  go  down  to  Scotland  Yard  and 
report  the  loss  without  being  too  free  over  the 
contents  of  the  documents.  Once  those  are  back 
in  our  hands,  our  people  can  afford  to  be  blandly 
ignorant  of  what  the  Mercury  said  to-night." 

"  And  I  should  be  free  to  hold  up  my  head  again." 
Maxwell  murmured.  "  But  I  am  wasting  time 
here." 

Maxwell  disappeared  into  the  darkness  and  made 


170        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

his  way  by  the  back  lane  into  Piccadilly.  The  streets 
were  quiet  now,  and  very  few  people  about.  It  was 
no  far  cry  to  the  chambers  occupied  by  General 
Maxgre  or,  and  no  time  would  be  lost  by  going  to 
the  house  of  Countess  Saens.  Maxwell  paused 
before  it  a  moment.  The  dining-room  blinds  were 
still  up,  and  the  lights  gleaming  inside.  But  so  far 
as  Maxwell  could  see  the  room  was  empty.  He 
lingered  as  long  as  he  dared  in  the  hope  of  something 
happening.  He  was  just  turning  away  when  the  front 
door  opened  and  a  man  came  out.  In  the  passing 
flash  of  the  street  lamp  Maxwell  recognized  the  man 
who  he  had  mistaken  for  the  King  of  Asturia.  The 
likeness  became  no  less  strong  under  Maxwell's 
close  scrutiny. 

The  man  stopped  on  the  doorstep  and  lit  a  cigar- 
ette, and  then  he  pulled  his  hat  over  his  eyes  and 
turned  up  his  coat  collar,  warm  as  the  night  was. 
A  hansom  crawled  along  with  the  driver  half  asleep 
on  his  perch.  In  a  strong  German  accent  the  man 
on  the  pavement  called  to  the  driver. 

"  Fleet  Street !  "  he  said.  "  No  IQIB,  Fleet  Street ! 
Office  of  the  Evening  Mercury,  you  know.  Wake 
up ! " 

Maxwell  felt  half  inclined  to  follow.  But  he 
thought  of  the  possible  danger  to  Maxgregor,  and 
he  was  forced  unwillingly  to  abandon  his  intention. 
Acting  on  the  impulse  of  the  moment,  he  ran  up  the 
steps  of  the  house  and  tried  the  door.  To  his  sur- 
prise the  lock  turned  in  his  hand.  At  the  same 
moment  the  blinds  in  the  dining-room  were  pulled 
down  by  the  countess  herself,  and  the  lights  switched 
off.  Maxwell  stood  with  the  door  just  opened ; 
he  saw  the  figure  of  the  countess  herself  mount- 
ing up  the  stairs.  He  could  hear  distinctly  the 


AN    UNEXPECTED   HONOUR  171 

swish  of  her  skirts.  Then  there  was  another 
click,  and  the  hall  lights  vanished.  Countess  Saens 
was  going  to  bed,  having  forgotten  to  lock  the  front 
door  !  That  all  the  servants  had  gone  to  bed  Max- 
well felt  certain,  for  the  area  quarters  were  all  in 
black  darkness. 

"  Astonishing  how  careless  these  clever  women 
are  sometimes !  "  Maxwell  muttered  as  he  took  his 
way  down  the  road.  "  I  suppose  the  servants  gen- 
erally see  to  that,  and  her  ladyship  has  entirely 
forgotten  a  thing  that  never  comes  within  the  scope 
of  her  duties." 

Maxgregor's  place  was  reached  at  length,  and 
Maxwell  was  glad  to  see  the  lights  burning.  A 
sleepy  porter  had  not  the  slightest  idea  whether  the 
General  was  in  or  out.  He  was  just  going  to  bed 
himself ;  he  never  sat  up  after  midnight,  and  if  the 
gentlemen  were  out  after  this  without  their  keys  it 
was  their  own  fault.  Maxwell  cut  short  this  tirade 
by  going  upstairs.  He  walked  straight  into  Max- 
gregor's sitting-room.  It  was  a  dark  room  on  the 
first  floor  with  folding  doors.  On  the  other  side  of 
the  folding  doors  the  General  was  stretched  out  on 
the  bed.  He  looked  somewhat  haughtily  at  the 
intruder. 

"  This  is  an  unexpected  honour,"  he  said.  "  I 
have  met  you  once  or  twice,  Mr.  Maxwell,  but  that 
does  not  give  you  the  right  to  come  into  my  bedroom 
in  this  fashion.  In  the  light  of  recent  events " 

"  For  Heaven's  sake  don't  take  that  tone!  "  Max- 
well cried  passionately.  "It  is  impossible  not  to 
understand  what  you  are  alluding  to.  And  it  is 
quite  futile  just  now  to  protest  my  innocence.  That 
I  am  innocent ;  that  sooner  or  later  you  will  have  to 
apologize  for  your  suspicions  is  inevitable.  Mean- 


172        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

while,  I  am  here  at  the  request  of  Mr.  Lechmere 
and  Dr.  Varney  to  warn  you  of  your  danger.  Cleverly 
as  your  escape  was  managed,  it  has  been  found  out. 
Let  me  tell  you  what  has  happened  ?  " 

The  General  bowed  coldly.  He  looked  on  the 
speaker  as  the  cause  of  all  the  trouble.  He  was  not 
going  to  accept  a  mere  protestation  of  innocence 
in  this  way.  And  yet  there  was  a  ring  of  sincerity 
in  what  Maxwell  said.  He  was  here,  also,  of  his  own 
free  will,  and  his  news  was  serious. 

"  So  that  accursed  woman  has  hit  the  right  nail 
again,"  he  growled.  "That  letter  you  speak  of 
means  mischief  to  me.  I  wonder  if  the  countess 
knows  that  I  am  wounded  ?  I  dare  say  she  does. 
I  might  have  been  murdered  in  my  bed  if  you  had 
not  come." 

"  You  would  have  been  murdered,"  Maxwell 
retorted.  "  That  is  absolutely  certain.  Are  you 
very  ill  ?  " 

"  No ;  it  was  merely  a  flesh  wound  in  the  shoulder. 
The  bullet  has  been  extracted.  I  lost  blood,  and  I 
am  feeling  rather  weak  at  present,  but  in  a  day  or 
two  I  shall  be  quite  myself  again." 

"How  did  you  manage  to  keep  the  thing  so 
quiet  ?  " 

"  I  sent  for  a  doctor  friend  of  mine.  He  was 
with  me  in  the  first  Asturian  campaign — a  fellow 
who  has  a  fortune,  and  loves  doctoring  as  a  pastime. 
He  knows  a  lot  about  the  Balkan  business.  I  asked 
him  to  keep  this  matter  a  secret,  and  he  has  done  so. 
Is  there  anything  else  I  can  tell  you  ?  " 

"  It  seems  to  me  that  there  is  a  good  deal  that  you 
can  tell  me,"  Maxwell  replied.  "  When  you  walked 
off  with  the  king's  clothes  you  probably  went 
away  with  papers  that  may  be  used  with  great  effect 


AN   UNEXPECTED   HONOUR  173 

against  Russia  if  they  fall  into  proper  hands — our 
hands,  that  is.  If  you  don't  mind,  I  shall  be  glad 
to  turn  out  the  pockets  of  that  coat." 

"  That  is  an  excellent  idea,"  Maxgregor  said. 
"  What  did  I  do  ? — oh,  I  know.  The  porter  took  the 
whole  suit  down  to  be  brushed;  as  I  don't  keep  a 
man  he  acts  as  my  valet.  If  you  would  not  mind 
going  down  into  the  hall  and  asking  the  fellow  ?  " 

Maxwell  vanished  at  once.  But  the  hall  porter 
had  departed  for  the  night,  so  the  occupant  of 
another  set  of  chambers  said  as  he  opened  the  outer 
door  with  his  latchkey.  At  the  same  moment  a 
figure  bolted  past  the  door,  a  figure  with  coat  collar 
turned  up  and  hat  pulled  down.  It  was  the  double 
of  the  King  of  Asturia.  Maxgregor's  face  grew  stern 
as  he  heard. 

"  Let  us  anticipate  events,"  he  said.  "  Put  out 
the  lights  in  my  sitting-room  and  close  the  door. 
When  you  have  done  that  put  out  the  light  here  also. 
There  is  a  way  into  the  corridor  out  of  this  room 
without  going  through  the  sitting-room.  Place 
the  key  of  the  sitting-room  door  on  the  outside." 

Maxwell  crept  back  presently,  having  accomplished 
his  task.  For  half  an  hour  or  more  the  two  sat  in 
the  pitch  darkness  saying  not  a  word  to  each  other. 
It  seemed  a  long  time,  but  the  watchers  knew  that 
something  was  going  to  happen  and  stifled  their 
impatience.  Presently  Maxwell  felt  that  a  hand 
was  clutching  him  by  the  arm.  Maxgregor  was 
whispering  something  in  his  ear. 

And  under  the  folding  doors  a  long  slit  of  light 
filtered  into  the  bedroom.  Somebody  had  turned 
up  the  light  in  the  sitting-room  1 


CHAPTER   XXVI 

LOYAL  SILENCE 

IT  was  getting  late  by  this  time.  Gradually  the 
guests  were  thinning  and  the  splendid  rooms 
were  taking  on  a  deserted  appearance.  Jessie  sat 
in  one  of  the  corridors  hidden  away  behind  a  bank 
of  palms  and  azaleas,  and  longed  for  the  time  when 
she  could  rest.  From  head  to  foot  she  was  aching 
with  fatigue.  She  had  not  been  used  to  excitement 
lately;  the  close  atmosphere  of  the  Bond  Street 
establishment  and  the  want  of  regular  exercise  in 
the  pure  air  had  told  upon  her.  Now  that  the 
excitement  had  passed  away  she  realized  how  tired 
she  was. 

She  laid  her  head  back  against  the  wall  and  closed 
her  eyes.  So  utterly  exhausted  was  she  that  she 
did  not  seem  to  care  what  happened.  And  there 
would  be  much  to  be  done  in  the  morning.  If  only 
Vera  Galloway  could  be  restored  to  her  proper  place, 
Jessie  vowed  that  nothing  should  prevail  upon  her 
to  carry  on  the  adventure.  She  slept  just  for  a 
moment.  She  might  have  stayed  there  till  daylight, 
only  Ronald  Hope  came  along  and  found  her. 

At  the  sound  of  a  human  voice  Jessie  became 
quite  alert  and  vigorous  again. 

"  How  you  startled  me,"  she  said.  "  I  was  asleep. 
Is  there  anything  fresh,  any  new  complication  ?  " 

Ronald  dropped  into  the  seat  by  Jessie's  side. 
He  was  looking  just  a  little  grave  and  stern.  It 
was  possible  to  detain  Jessie  there  for  some  little 
time. 

174 


LOYAL   SILENCE  175 

"  There  is  nothing  fresh,"  he  said.  "  I  have  a 
few  words  to  say  to  you,  Jessie.  Everybody  is  going, 
and  only  a  few  of  Lady  Merehaven's  intimate  friends 
remain." 

"  If  you  are  one  of  them  you  will  not  be  expected 
to  leave  just  yet,"  Jessie  smiled.  "But  why  look  so 
serious,  Ronald  ?  Have  I  done  anything  ?  " 

"  Upon  my  word,  I  don't  know,"  Ronald  said  in 
some  perplexity.  "  I  don't  like  it,  Jess.  If  you 
look  at  it  from  a  proper  point  of  view  you  have  no 
business  to  be  here  at  all.  Lady  Merehaven  is  a 
dear  friend  of  mine.  What  would  she  say  if  she 
knew  everything  ?  As  a  matter  of  fact,  she  is  bound 
to  know  everything  sooner  or  later." 

"  But  you  can't  blame  me,"  Jessie  protested. 
"  Look  at  my  position.  I  was  quite  desperate.  I 
had  been  dismissed  from  Bond  Street  for  no  fault 
of  my  own ;  I  had  a  sister  practically  depending  upon 
upon  me ;  it  was  useless  in  the  circumstances  to  try 
and  find  employment  elsewhere.  I  was  face  to  face 
with  something  very  like  starvation,  my  dear 
Ronald." 

Ronald's  face  softened,  but  the  perplexed  frown 
on  his  face  was  still  there. 

"  Oh,  I  know  it,"  he  said  eagerly.  "  I  see  your 
position  entirely.  At  the  same  time,  it  is  quite 
wrong.  I  am  looking  at  the  social  side  of  the  ques- 
tion. And  the  worst  of  the  affair  is  that  you  must 
go  on  now  till  Vera  Galloway  comes  back.  I  have 
been  trying  to  find  some  way  to  achieve  that  without 
delay.  If  it  can  be  managed,  you  must  promise 
never  to  change  your  identity  again." 

Something  like  tears  rose  into  Jessie's  eyes.  The 
dull,  tired  feeling  was  coming  over  her  again. 

"  Don't  blame  me,  dear,"  she  whispered.     "  Think 


176        THE   WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

of  my  position.  I  had  not  met  you  this  afternoon  J 
I  did  not  dream  that  you  still  cared  for  me.  And 
yet  I  fancy  that  I  would  have  done  the  same  in  any 
case.  A  good  and  noble  girl  comes  to  me  in  great 
trouble ;  she  asks  me  to  help  her  out  of  a  grave 
difficulty  to  save  one  she  loves.  To  help  her  I  do 
this.  And  she  has  more  or  less  succeeded.  Between 
the  two  of  us  we  have  gone  far  to  save  a  nation. 
Tell  Lady  Merehaven  if  you  like,  but  do  not  spoil 
everything  in  the  moment  of  victory." 

"  I  don't  want  to,"  Ronald  said.  "  It  would  be 
ridiculous  to  speak  just  yet.  But  any  moment 
some  unexpected  accident  may  find  you  out.  It 
may  come  before  bedtime.  And  what  would  happen 
to  you  then  ?  I  am  very  jealous  for  the  good  name 
of  my  future  wife.  Dr.  Varney— 

"  Dr.  Varney  is  standing  by  me  nobly,  and  he  will 
see  that  I  am  safe,"  Jessie  said.  "  Dear  old  boy, 
don't  be  afraid.  Trust  me  a  little  longer,  and  I  am 
quite  sure " 

"  My  darling,  I  trust  you  implicitly,"  Ronald 
exclaimed.  He  bent  forward  and  kissed  Jessie's 
trembling  lips.  "  Only  I  am  so  miserably  anxious, 
so  fearful  lest But  somebody  is  coming." 

Somebody  came  down  the  corridor,  pushing  the 
azaleas  carelessly  aside  from  time  to  time.  The 
newcomer  was  evidently  looking  for  somebody. 
Then  the  grey  face  of  Lechmere  appeared,  white 
and  excited  as  Ronald  had  never  seen  him  before.  He 
paused  before  the  others. 

"  Miss — er — Galloway,  I  have  been  looking  for  you 
everywhere,"  he  said.  "  It  is  of  the  utmost  import- 
ance that " 

"  Oh,  dear !  "  said  Jessie  with  a  little  broken  laugh. 
"  Please  don't  tell  me  that  I  have  to  do  anything  else 


"Then  the  gray  face  of  Lechmere  appeared  white  and  excited. 


The  Weight  of  the  Crown.— Page  176 


LOYAL   SILENCE  177 

to-night.     I  am  utterly  worn  out.     If  I  could  go 
straight  to  bed " 

"  So  you  may  as  far  as  I  am  concerned,"  Lechmere 
said  curtly.  "  I  beg  your  pardon,  but  I  fancy  I  have 
made  a  discovery  of  importance.  That  man  whom 
you  took  to  be  the  King  of  Asturia — I  mean  the 
man  you  saw  in  the  Countess  Saens's  dining-room. 
What  became  of  him  ?  " 

"  Really,  I  cannot  tell  you,"  Jessie  said.  "  Let 
me  think.  I  fancy  Mr.  Maxwell  said  something 
about  him.  Yes,  that  was  it.  He  said  that  the 
man  you  mention  drove  to  the  office  of  the  Mercury. 
Mr.  Maxwell  would  have  followed  him,  only  he 
could  not  spare  the  time." 

Lechmere  nodded  as  if  pleased  about  something, 
but  the  stern  look  was  still  on  his  face. 

"  I  fancy  that  is  all  that  I  need  bother  you  about 
at  present,"  he  said.  "  And  I  don't  think  that  we 
shall  need  your  services  any  more  to-night,  my  dear 
young  lady.  If  you  can  contrive  to  see  Dr.  Varney 
on  your  ride  before  breakfast  in  the  morning,  you 
will  be  doing  everybody  a  service." 

Lechmere  darted  away  as  hurriedly  as  he  had 
come.  Evidently  he  had  work  of  importance  before 
him. 

"  He  has  given  me  one  useful  piece  of  information," 
Jessie  said  as  soon  as  Lechmere  had  gone.  "  If 
what  he  remarks  is  correct,  Miss  Galloway  is  in  the 
habit  of  riding  before  breakfast.  Well,  I  shall  be 
able  to  fulfil  that  part  of  the  programme,  Ronald. 
It  will  be  delightful  to  be  on  the  back  of  a  horse 
again,  even  in  a  borrowed  habit,  which  I  sincerely 
hope  will  fit  me." 

Ronald  looked  at  the  mass  of  chiffon  and  the 
quivering  fall  of  drapery  before  him  and  smiled. 

M 


178        THE   WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

The  dress  might  have  been  made  for  the  wearer,  so 
perfectly  did  it  seem  to  fit  her. 

"  This  is  quite  another  matter,"  Jessie  said. 
"  One  can  do  wonders  with  a  little  lace  and  a  bow 
or  two  of  chiffon.  But  a  close-fitting  riding  habit 
is  quite  another  thing.  I  dare  say  I  shall  manage. 
There  is  only  one  thing  that  really  fills  me  with 
terror." 

"  I  should  like  to  know  what  that  is,"  said  Ronald. 

"  Why,  Countess  Saens.  I  am  quite  sure  that  she 
knows  what  has  taken  place — at  least,  she  suspects, 
and  will  find  out  dual  identity,  or  she  would  never 
have  tried  to  gain  admission  to  the  hospital  to-night. 
I  am  perfectly  sure  that  she  will  make  another 
attempt  in  the  morning.  She  is  clever  and  unscru- 
pulous, and  she  is  certain  to  get  her  own  way.  In 
the  accident  ward  of  a  hospital  there  is  always  a 
case  or  two  that  needs  identity,  and  there  will  be  the 
chance  of  the  countess.  She  professes  to  have  mis- 
sed somebody,  and  she  will  be  able  to  walk  through 
the  accident  ward.  That  is  all  she  requires.  And 
I  am  quite  certain  that  she  will  do  this  thing  in  the 
course  of  the  morning.  Don't  you  agree  with  me  ?  " 

Ronald  was  fain  to  agree  with  what  Jessie  said. 
Perhaps  some  scheme  for  baffling  the  countess  was 
already  in  the  air,  as  Lechmere  would  not  have 
suggested  that  early  morning  visit  to  Varney. 

'*  I  have  been  thinking  the  matter  out,"  Jessie 
went  on.  "  Why  could  not  Miss  Galloway  be  re- 
moved to  a  private  ward  ?  If  Dr.  Varney  called  at 
the  hospital  he  could  see  the  patient  and  drop  a  hint 
to  that  effect.  You  see  what  is  uppermost  in  my 
mind,  Ronald.  A  private  ward  affords  chance  of 
escape,  also  chance  for  me  to  take  Miss  Galloway's 
place  and  let  her  come  home." 


LOYAL   SILENCE  179 

"  You  are  a  friend  in  need,"  Ronald  said  as  he 
kissed  the  red  lips  again.  "  It  was  a  lucky  thing 
for  Vera  Galloway  when  she  thought  of  you.  But 
there  are  risks  even  in  this  scheme.  Suppose  the 
maid  who  was  present  when  the  robbery  at  the 
countess  Saens's  took  place  comes  forward  and 
identifies  you,  what  then  ?  You  will  be  charged 
with  burglary,  and  perhaps  convicted.  The  police 
will  find  out  all  about  you — your  name  will  figure 
largely  in  the  newspapers." 

Jessie  hesitated  a  little  before  she  replied.  Her 
head  fell  forward,  and  she  fell  almost  asleep  on 
Ronald's  arm.  Nothing  seemed  to  matter  to  her 
now ;  if  only  she  could  have  a  good  night's  rest. 

"  I  don't  seem  to  care,"  she  murmured.  "  I  don't 
fancy  that  the  countess  would  go  that  far.  It  isn't 
as  if  she  stood  any  chance  of  recovering  the  stolen 
papers.  And  she  would  have  to  give  a  description 
of  the  missing  documents,  which  would  not  suit  her 
book  at  all.  On  the  whole,  I  am  prepared  to  take 
any  risk  so  that  I  can  spare  Vera  Galloway  further 
misery." 

And  Ronald  had  nothing  further  to  say.  It  was 
good  to  know  that  he  had  the  love  of  a  girl  like  this. 
She  should  carry  out  her  resolution,  and  he  would 
maintain  a  loyal  silence  for  the  present. 


CHAPTER    XXVII 

LECHMERE     TO   THE    RESCUE 

WITH  a  new  object  uppermost  in  his  rnind 
Lechmere  left  Merehaven  House  and  took  his 
way  into  Piccadilly.  The  roads  were  almost  deserted 
now,  save  for  a  solitary  foot-passenger  and  a  dingy 
night  cab.  One  of  these  crept  along  presently,  and 
Lechmere  ordered  the  driver  to  take  him  to  Fleet 
Street.  In  contrast  with  the  West  End  there  was 
bustle  and  animation  enough  in  the  street  that  never 
sleeps.  It  was  near  to  the  hour  when  the  great 
morning  papers  went  to  press;  there  were  lights 
everywhere,  and  the  hoarse  rattle  of  machinery. 
Lechmere  came  at  length  to  the  offices  of  the 
Mercury  and  demanded  to  see  the  editor.  The 
request  was  an  unusual  one  at  so  late  an  hour,  and 
the  clerk  asked  if  the  visitor  had  an  appointment. 

"  I  have  no  appointment  at  all,"  Lechmere  said. 
"  But  at  the  same  time  I  am  going  to  see  the  editor. 
Give  my  card  to  Mr.  Hunt,  and  say  that  I  will  not 
detain  him  many  moments." 

There  was  something  in  Lechmere's  manner 
that  caused  the  clerk  to  take  the  card  without 
further  protest.  Lechmere  had  before  now  forced 
himself  in  times  of  emergency  on  the  great 
ones  of  the  earth,  so  that  he  was  not  going  to  be 
baffled  by  a  newspaper  editor,  important  functionary 
as  the  latter  was.  He  waited  some  little  time  before 
the  clerk  returned. 

180 


LECHMERE   TO   THE   RESCUE          181 

Mr.  Hunt  was  very  busy,  he  said,  and  was  sorry 
he  could  not  see  the  gentleman.  Perhaps  he  would 
like  to  call  later  on,  or  send  up  the  nature  of  his 
business  ?  Some  very  important  news  had  come 
in  late,  and  in  the  circumstances  it  was  impossible 
for  the  editor  to  grant  an  interview  to  anybody. 

Lechmere  said  he  would  call  again,  and  turned  for 
the  door.  Bat  he  had  no  intention  of  being 
put  off  in  this  way.  He  paused  as  a  rush  of  business 
distracted  the  attention  of  the  clerk.  In  a  corridor 
leading  to  a  flight  of  steps  two  jaded-looking  re- 
porters were  talking  eagerly. 

"  Is  it  a  fake  or  a  real  thing  ?  "  the  first  one  said. 
"  I've  just  come  back  from  Westminster — scene  in 
the  House,  don't  you  know — and  Gregg  would  not 
even  look  at  us.  Said  we  had  a  real  good  thing  on." 

"  Then  you  didn't  get  to  the  bottom  of  what  it 
was  ?  "  the  other  asked  eagerly. 

"  No,  I  didn't.  Something  about  the  King  of 
somewhere  and  a  row  in  the  office.  Anyway,  the 
whole  of  the  staff  up  in  the  composing-room  are 
working  with  closed  doors,  so  that  no  hated  rival 
shall  get  a  sniff  of  what  is  going  on.  We  are 
evidently  in  for  a  big  sensation." 

Lechmere  waited  for  no  more ;  he  gripped  his 
opportunity  with  both  hands.  He  advanced  along 
the  corridor  to  where  the  two  men  were  talking,  and 
asked  what  floor  Mr.  Hunt's  office  was  on.  The  two 
men  looked  at  him  with  something  of  admiration  on 
their  faces.  Hunt  was  a  martinet  in  his  office, 
and  difficult  of  access  at  all  times. 

"  Second  floor  on  the  right,"  one  of  the  reporters 
said  with  a  wink  at  his  companion.  "  Don't  knock, 
but  walk  right  in.  Hunt  is  always  glad  to  see  visitors 
at  this  hour.  It  is  a  refreshing  change  after  the  grind 


182        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

of  the  night.     He'll  be  quite  pleased  to  see  you." 

Lechmere  grimly  expressed  his  thanks,  though  the 
sarcastic  force  of  the  words  and  the  wink  were  not  lost 
on  him.  He  was  here  to  see  Hunt,  and  he  was  going  to 
do  it  at  any  cost.  He  made  his  way  up  the  staircase 
and  along  to  the  second  floor,  where  a  door  with  the 
name  of  Hunt  in  large  letters  attracted  his  eye.  The 
door  of  the  room  was  shut,  but  Lechmere  walked  in. 

The  room  was  empty  for  the  moment.  The  floor 
was  littered  with  paper  and  proofs ;  on  the  desk  a  slip 
of  galley  proof  lay.  The  heading  attracted  Lech- 
mere's  attention,  and  he  whistled.  Then  he  sat 
calmly  down  to  await  Mr.  Hunt's  return.  He  had 
no  undue  trial  of  his  patience,  for  a  moment  later  the 
editor  of  the  Mercury  bustled  into  the  room. 

There  was  a  pleased  smile  on  his  face ;  he  seemed 
to  be  on  the  best  of  terms  with  himself.  But  the 
smile  faded  away,  and  the  mean,  eager  face  grew 
anxious  as  Hunt  detected  the  presence  of  his  visitor. 

"  Now  this  is  really  too  bad,  Mr.  Lechmere," 
he  protested.  Lechmere  did  not  fail  to  notice 
the  agitation  of  the  speaker's  voice.  "  Of  course, 
I  had  your  card.  I  sent  a  message  down  for  you. 
If  you  had  been  the  king  I  would  not  have  seen  you 
to-night.  I  never  see  anybody  after  twelve  o'clock. 
I  repeat,  if  you  had  been  the  king  I  should  have  had 
to  refuse  you  an  audience." 

"  Sounds  exceedingly  impressive,  not  to  say 
regal,"  Lechmere  remarked  in  a  dry  tone,  and  with- 
out the  slightest  suggestion  of  an  apology.  "  What 
king  do  you  happen  to  mean  ?  " 

"  Why,  the  King  of  England,  of  course,"  Hunt 
puffed.  "  Any  living  king,  as  a  matter  of  fact." 

"  Any  king  in  the  Almc,iiach  de  Gotha — with  the 
exception  of  the  King  of  Asturia,  eh  ?  " 


LECHMERE   TO   THE   RESCUE          183 

The  question  was  couched  in  a  tone  of  easy 
badinage,  but  its  effect  on  Hunt  was  wonderful. 
The  face  grew  grey  and  his  hands  trembled.  If  he 
had  been  accused  of  some  crime  he  could  not  have 
looked  more  agitated.  He  tried  to  bluff,  but  he 
could  only  stammer  something  incoherent. 

"  Really,  I  don't  know  what  you  mean,"  he  said. 
"  The  King  of  Asturia,  you  say  ?  " 

"  My  words  were  quite  plain,  Mr.  Hunt.  I  came 
here  to-night  determined  to  see  you  and  determined 
not  to  be  bluffed  by  all  the  clerks  in  your  office. 
Your  paper  has  gone  to  press,  and  therefore  you 
must  have  a  few  minutes  to  spare.  You  need  not 
be  afraid.  Your  composing-room  door  is  locked,  and 
the  present  item  of  news  destined  for  your 
readers  is  not  likely  to  leak  out.  Will  you  be  so  good 
as  to  let  me  have  an  advanced  copy  of  the  paper  ?  " 

**  Certainly  not,"  Hunt  said.  "  This  is  an  outrage. 
If  you  do  not  leave  my  office " 

"  Sit  down,"  Lechmere  said  sternly.  He  might 
have  been  speaking  to  an  unruly  hound.  "  You  are 
not  going  beyond  that  door  without  we  have  an 
explanation.  The  King  of  Asturia  was  here  to- 
night. If  you  deny  it,  I  shall  give  you  the  lie  from 
that  printed  proof  on  the  table  before  you." 

Hunt  glanced  at  the  long  galley  slip  and  wriggled. 
All  his  dignity  had  vanished. 

*'  I  am  not  going  to  deny  it,"  he  said.  "  The  King 
of  Asturia  has  been  here.  He  came  in  a  cab.  I  did 
not  send  for  him,  he  came  of  his  own  free  will.  He 
gave  me  certain  information " 

"  I  have  not  the  slightest  doubt  of  it,"  Lechmere 
said  drily.  "  Unfortunately,  his  majesty  has  made 
for  himself  in  London  the  sort  of  reputation  which 
is  coveted  only  by  a  certain  class  of  music-hall 


184        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

frequenter  and  the  haunter  of  the  typical  Strand 
bar.  There  have  been  occasions  when  his  majesty 
has  exceeded  the  bounds  in  the  way  of  intoxicating 
liquor.  Did  you  see  any  signs  of  it  to-night  ?  " 

Hunt  intimated  that  he  had.  He  was  palpably 
uneasy  and  uncomfortable.  Every  admission  that 
he  made  Lechmere  had  literally  to  drag  from  him. 

"  The  description  sounds  convincing,"  Lechmere 
said.  "  But  suppose  I  was  in  a  position  to  tell  you 
that  the  King  of  Asturia  had  not  been  here  in  Fleet 
Street  at  all  ?  " 

"  Impossible  !  "  Hunt  cried.  "  I  saw  his  majesty ; 
he  sat  in  that  chair  for  an  hour.  A  man  in  my 
position  is  not  likely  to  make  mistakes  like  that. 
And  he  gave  me  certain  information  that  I  propose 
to  make  a  sensation  of.  What  that  information  is 
you  will  know  with  the  rest  of  the  general  public 
when  you  get  your  Mercury  at  breakfast  time." 

Lechmere  nodded.  Beyond  the  door  he  could  see 
something  in  the  guise  of  a  foreman  printer  with  a 
damp  news  sheet  in  his  hand.  He  knew  at  once  that 
here  was  an  early  copy  of  the  paper ;  that  early  copy 
he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  possess.  He  rose  as 
if  satisfied  with  his  interview. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said.  "  I  will  wish  you  good- 
night. You  have  done  a  foolish  thing,  and,  unless 
I  am  greatly  mistaken,  you  are  the  victim  of  one 
of  the  most  mistaken  cases  of  identity  every  played 
off  on  the  editor  of  a  great  newspaper.  But  the 
fault  is  on  your  own  head.  Good-night." 

Lechmere  passed  out,  closing  the  door  behind  him. 
The  printer  stood  there,  evidently  waiting  for  him 
to  go.  Lechmere  silently  drew  his  purse  from  his 
pocket  and  extracted  a  ten-pound  note.  This  he 
held  up  in  tlie  glaring  light  of  the  passage  and 


LECHMERE   TO   THE   RESCUE  185 

pointed  to  the  paper.  The  printer  perspired  pro- 
fusely. Then,  with  a  sudden  spasmodic  gesture 
he  folded  up  the  paper  and  placed  it  in  Leclimere's 
hand,  at  the  same  time  snatching  convulsively 
for  the  money.  The  whole  transaction  did  not  take 
five  seconds. 

Calm  and  easy  in  his  triumph,  Lechmere  walked 
leisurely  down  the  stairs.  Once  in  Fleet  Street  he 
stood  under  the  friendly  light  of  a  lamp  and  opened 
the  paper.  As  he  did  so  he  started.  Well  in  hand 
as  he  usually  kept  himself,  Lechmere  was  surprised 
to-night. 

There  it  was  for  anybody  to  see  who  had  an  eye  at 
all ;  the  fifth  page  was  filled  with  it : — 

"  The  King  of  Asturia  and  his  people.  His 
majesty  visits  the  Mercury  office  and  speaks  freely. 
Does  not  care  for  the  responsibilities  of  State,  and 
has  made  up  his  mind  fo  abdicate.  Has  already 
signed  the  declaration  to  that  effect.  Prefers 
Piccadilly  to  the  Balkan  service.  One  of  the  most 
amazing  romances  in  the  history  of  Europe." 

"  Good  Heavens !  "  Lechmere  cried.  "  So  that  is 
the  game  !  What  a  lucky  thing  I  came  down  here  ! 
Of  all  the  audacious  things  that  ever  happened,  this 
is  the  most  audacious  of  all." 

He  crushed  the  paper  in  his  hand  and  hurried 
breathlessly  westward  at  the  top  of  his  speed. 


CHAPTER   XXVIII 

THE   POWER  OF  THE   PRESS 

editorial  staff  of  the  Mercury  had  certainly 
done  their  work  very  well.  No  detail  had  been 
spared  to  make  the  report  absolutely  complete. 
Everybody  was  reminded  that  recently  there  had 
been  a  great  deal  of  friction  in  that  corner  of  the 
Balkans  known  as  Asturia.  It  was  well  known  that 
for  many  years  Russia  had  coveted  that  fair  province. 
Up  to  now  the  crown  of  the  King  of  Asturia  had 
been  quite  safe.  But  with  the  advent  of  the  present 
monarch  things  were  entirely  different.  KingErno 
had  very  early  in  his  career  given  evidence  that  he 
did  not  appreciate  the  full  measure  of  responsibility. 
He  was  too  fond  of  gaiety  and  pleasure  ;  he  had  no 
patriotism.  His  people  were  a  stern,  hard-living 
race,  and  they  did  not  tolerate  the  gaiety  of  the  new 
court. 

The  queen  was  all  very  well,  but  she  was  only  the 
consort,  after  all.  It  was  useless  for  her  to  be  ever 
on  the  spot  whilst  the  king  was  dissipating  his 
fortune  and  spending  the  money  ground  from  his 
people  by  extra  taxation  in  London  and  Paris.  And 
latterly  eyes  had  been  turned  to  Vienna,  where  dwelt 
Prince  Alix,  who  was  known  to  covet  the  throne.  At 
any  moment  there  might  be  a  glaring  tragedy,  and 
Prince  Alix  might  find  himself  with  the  crown.  That 
Prince  Alix  was  notoriously  a  friend  of  Russia 
mattered  little  at  the  present  juncture. 

188 


THE   POWER   OF   THE   PRESS          187 

Lechmere  read  all  this  as  he  hurried  along  Fleet 
Street.  He  also  read  a  lot  of  information  that  was 
true,  and  more  that  was  false.  Evidently  the 
Mercury  people  cared  for  nothing  beyond  the  sensa- 
tion of  the  hour.  But  after  all  this  came  the  sting 
of  the  thing.  The  King  of  Asturia  had  that  night 
gone  down  to  the  Mercury  office  and  demanded 
audience  of  the  editor.  He  had  been  very  wild 
and  violent,  and  the  intimation  that  he  was  hopelessly 
intoxicated  was  not  very  carefully  concealed.  The 
king  wished  it  to  be  understood  that  he  had  done 
with  Asturia.  He  had  not  the  slightest  intention  of 
going  back  to  his  capital  any  more.  His  abdication 
was  signed,  and  doubtless  by  that  time  a  deputation 
was  on  its  way  to  Vienna  to  offer  the  throne  to 
Prince  Alix.  Altogether,  it  was  perhaps  the  most 
sensational  report  that  ever  appeared  even  in  an 
American  paper.  It  was  certain  to  create  a  great 
commotion,  and  set  all  the  courts  of  Europe  by  the 
ears. 

"  Well,  of  all  the  amazing  audacity !  "  Lechmere 
muttered  at  he  raced  along.  "  Nothing  more  daring 
had  ever  been  done  in  the  history  of  political  in- 
trigue. I  wonder  if  Hunt  suspects  the  truth. 
Not  that  it  would  make  any  difference  to  him  so  long 
as  he  could  shift  the  responsibility  afterwards,  as  I 
daresay  he  will  be  prepared  with  proofs  that  he  was 
justified  in  what  he  did.  There  is  only  one  way  to 
get  even  with  this  thing." 

Lechmere  arrived  at  length  at  the  office  of  the 
Daily  Herald.  The  paper  in  question  had  very 
little  taint  of  the  modern  spirit  about  it.  There 
was  no  chance,  for  instance,  that  it  would  ever  be 
published  for  less  than  a  penny.  The  Herald  had 
no  very  great  reputation  for  enterprise,  but  it  was 


188        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

sound  and  safe,  and  everything  therein  would  be 
accepted  as  true.  No  newspaper  in  the  kingdom 
carried  more  weight,  no  journal  had  a  greater 
reputation  for  veracity. 

The  Herald  had  not  gone  to  press  yet.  There  was 
no  great  hurry,  seeing  that  the  feverish  rush  to  cap- 
ture circulation  had  never  commended  itself  to 
the  paper's  proprietors.  There  was  a  sense  of 
decorum  about  the  office  that  had  been  lacking  in 
the  entourage  of  the  Mercury.  The  place  seemed 
more  dignified  ;  there  was  no  noise  ;  all  the  corridors 
had  felted  floors.  Even  down  in  the  manager's 
office  the  same  decorum  prevailed. 

Lechmere  knew  that  he  would  have  no  difficulty 
in  seeing  the  editor  of  the  Herald.  In  the  first 
place,  that  gentleman  was  an  old  friend  of  his  ;  indeed, 
Lechmere  had  contributed  from  time  to  time  many 
articles  on  foreign  politics.  Mr.  Eveleigh  was  at 
liberty,  and  would  see  Mr.  Lechmere  at  once.  The 
editor  was  lying  back  in  an  armchair  smoking  a 
cigar. 

"  I  have  just  finished,  my  dear  fellow,"  he  said. 
"  I  hope  you  have  something  good  for  me  ?  Nothing 
wrong  ?  You  look  actually  excited,  a  most  unusual 
thing  for  you." 

"  I  certainly  have  come  along  at  a  pretty 
good  pace,"  Lechmere  admitted.  "  A  most  extra- 
ordinary thing  has  happened.  If  this  matter  is 
allowed  to  pass  there  is  no  limit  to  the  damage  that 
it  may  do.  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  cast  your  eye 
on  that,  Eveleigh  ?  " 

The  editor  of  the  Herald  took  the  Mercury  is  his 
hand  as  if  he  had  been  contaminated.  There  was  a 
smile  of  contempt  on  his  fine  face.  But  the  smile 
faded  away,  and  an  interested  gleam  came  into  his 


THE   POWER   OF   THE   PRESS          189 

eyes  as  he  read.     He  tossed  the  paper  aside  at  length. 

"  Nothing  very  wonderful,"  he  said.  "  That  is 
precisely  how  I  should  have  expected  the  present 
ruler  of  Asturia  to  behave.  It's  a  fine  scoop  for 
Hunt,  and  one  after  his  own  heart.  He  would  set 
the  whole  of  Europe  in  a  blaze  to  sell  an  extra  fifty 
thousand  papers." 

"  Why  not  ?  He  is  an  American,  and  his  aim  is  to 
make  money.  He  has  the  excuse  that  he  is  not 
bound  by  any  patriotic  scruples.  Do  you  believe 
that  story  ?  " 

"  It  certainly  has  the  impress  of  truth,"  Eve- 
leigh  said  thoughtfully.  "  Hunt  dare  not  hoax 
his  public.  The  average  Briton  would  never  stand 
it.  Besides,  that's  Hunt's  own  writing.  He  is 
perfectly  certain  to  have  taken  the  statement  down 
from  the  royal  lips." 

"  No  doubt.  Probably  with  the  aid  of  a  steno- 
grapher. There  are  no  flies  on  Hunt,  to  use  a  pet 
expression  of  his  own.  Let  us  assume  for  the  sake 
of  argument  that  Hunt  fully  believes  that  he  has 
had  the  thing  from  the  principal  actor  in  the  drama. 
But  all  the  same,  he  didn't.  The  man  who  dictated 
that  statement  was  no  more  King  of  Asturia  than 
I  am." 

Eveleigh  looked  up  brightly.  Lechmere  was 
not  in  the  habit  of  making  statements  that  he 
couldn't  prove. 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  king  has  been  at  Lord 
Merehaven's  all  the  evening,"  he  went  on.  "I 
left  him  there  a  little  while  ago.  This  thing  has 
been  deliberately  got  up  by  the  gang  of  conspirators 
who  are  working  here  in  the  interests  of  Russia  and 
incidentally  for  their  own  pockets.  When  the  proper 
time  comes  I  will  name  all  these  conspirators  to  you. 


igo        THE   WEIGHT  OF  THE   CROWN 

I  can  even  give  you  the  name  of  the  man  who  played 
the  part  for  Hunt's  benefit.  They  chose  their  people 
carefully,  knowing  that  only  the  Mercury  out  of 
all  the  London  journals  would  publish  that  without 
first  consulting  the  Foreign  Secretary.  Don't  you 
see  the  game  ?  Every  paper  in  Paris  and  Vienna 
and  St.  Petersburg  will  get  a  copy  of  that  inter- 
view in  extenso.  It  will  create  a  perfect  furore 
in  Asturia  if  the  lie  is  not  most  promptly  contra- 
dicted. You  see  what  I  mean  ?  " 

"  In  the  first  place,  that  some  clever  actor  has  been 
playing  the  king  ?  "  Eveleigh  asked. 

"  Yes.  It  was  Countess  Saens's  idea  in  the  first 
place.  I  am  afraid  that  some  of  our  people  inspired 
her  with  the  suggestion.  But  that  is  neither  here 
nor  there.  That  lie  has  to  be  scotched,  and  you 
are  the  man  to  do  it.  After  all  said  and  done,  the 
journalistic  English  authority  abroad  is  the  Herald. 
Therefore  the  Herald  is  going  to  print  that  wild 
story  of  Hunt's  to-night  and  comment  upon  the 
audacity  of  the  scheme.  Also,  you  are  going  to 
proclaim  the  fact  that  the  real  King  of  Asturia  was 
known  to  be  at  the  residence  of  the  Foreign  Secretary, 
Lord  Merehaven,  at  the  time  when  he  was  supposed 
to  be  betraying  his  private  affairs  to  the  editor  of 
the  Mercury.  If  I  were  not  absolutely  certain  of  my 
facts  I  would  not  ask  you  to  do  this,  Eveleigh. 
I  want  you  to  make  a  big  thing  of  this.  I  want  you  to 
assume  that  Hunt  has  been  hoaxed,  and  call  for  the 
prompt  punishment  of  the  criminals.  Is  there 
time?" 

"  Oh,  there  is  plenty  of  time,"  Eveleigh  said 
thoughtfully.  "  No  trouble  on  that  score.  And  I 
think  I  can  manage  it.  Sit  down  for  a  minute  or 
two  while  I  go  and  see  my  chief  of  staff." 


THE   POWER   OF   THE   PRESS          191 

Lechmere  sat  down  fluttering  over  the  pages  of 
the  Mercury.  His  restless  eye  wandered  near  the 
column  and  along  the  crowded  advertisements. 
Finally  his  gaze  stopped  at  the  agony  column.  One 
line  there  arrested  his  attention.  It  was  a  jumbled 
cypher,  but  the  training  that  Lechmere  had  had  in 
that  kind  of  thing  enabled  him  to  read  it  almost  at  a 
glance. 

"I  thought  so,"  he  said.  "I  felt  absolutely 
certain  of  my  man.  So  Peretori  is  in  London !  I  might 
have  guessed  that  from  the  first.  Well,  it  seems  to 
me  that  I  am  in  a  position  to  hoist  these  people 
with  their  own  petard.  So  long  as  Peretori  is  not  in 
earnest,  well  and  good.  I  wonder  if  there  is  a  tele- 
phone anywhere  here  ?  " 

There  was  a  telephone  at  the  back  of  the  editor's 
desk,  and  Lechmere  promptly  called  up  Scotland 
Yard  in  search  of  information.  After  a  pause  the 
information  came,  which  Lechmere  carefully  jotted 
down  in  his  pocket  book.  Eveleigh  came  back  with 
the  air  of  a  busy  man. 

"  I'm  going  to  do  it,  Lechmere,"  he  said.  "  No 
thanks  needed  :  it  will  be  a  good  thing  for  us. 
And  now  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  go,  as  I  shall  be 
pretty  busy  for  the  next  hour.  I  think  you  will  be 
safe  to  leave  matters  in  my  hands." 


CHAPTER   XXIX 
IN  MAXGREGOR'S  CHAMBERS 

WHILST  Lechmere  was  making  the  best  of  his 
way  from  the  Herald  office  to  the  chambers  in 
the  big  block  occupied  by  General  Maxgregor,  he, 
it  will  be  remembered,  lay  perfectly  still  on  his  bed 
watching  the  light  broadening  under  the  door  of  his 
sitting-room.  It  was  a  thrilling  moment  for  both 
Maxwell  and  himself. 

"  What  are  you  going  to  do  ?  "  Maxwell  whispered. 
"  Shall  I  go  and  see  what  the  fellow  is  after  ?  " 

"  No,"  Maxgregor  replied.  "  Stay  where  you  are. 
Unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken,  I  know  who  it  is. 
Our  friend  is  coming  in  here  to  investigate." 

Surely  enough  the  double  doors  were  opening  and 
the  figure  walked  in.  He  came  boldly  enough  with 
the  light  behind  him  into  the  comparative  darkness 
of  the  bedroom.  He  fumbled  along  the  wall  for  the 
switch,  and  presently  the  bedroom  also  was  flooded 
with  light.  Mazaroff  stood  there,  his  hands  appar- 
ently covered  with  pitch,  for  they  were  black  and 
sticky,  and  he  was  looking  round  for  the  washstand. 

"  If  there  is  anything  you  want  and  you  don't  see 
it,"  Maxgregor  said  coolly  "  ring  the  bell." 

Mazaroff  gave  a  startled  cry.  The  man  was 
genuinely  astonished,  of  that  there  could  be  no 
doubt.  He  looked  helplessly  from  Maxgregor  to  Max- 
well and  back  again. 

"  I  am  exceedingly  sorry,"  he  stammered.  "  I 
— I  have  come  to  the  wrong  rooms." 


193 


IN    MAXGREGOR'S    CHAMBERS          193 

"  Where  did  you  get  the  key  of  my  suite  from  ?  " 
Maxgregor  demanded. 

"  Who  from  ?  "  Mazaroff  asked  helplessly.  "  Why, 
from  Barlow —  Barlow  who  occupies  the  suite 
that  I  took  for  this  one.  You  see,  Barlow  is  a 
friend  of  mine.  Very  unfortunate  that  the  key 
should  fit  both  outer  rooms." 

"  Very,"  Maxgregor  said  drily.  "  When  was  it 
that  Barlow  gave  you  the.  key  ?  " 

"  Yesterday,  or  the  day  before  ?  "  Mazaroff  ex- 
plained. "  You  see,  he  is  away  from  London.  As 
a  matter  of  fact  he  wanted  to  let  the  suite,  and  I 
wanted  it  for  a  friend.  It's  very  strange  that  I 
should  find  you  here  like  this.  I  can  only  tender 
you  my  very  sincere  apologies." 

"  Better  wash  your  hands  before  you  go,"  Maxwell 
suggested  grimly.  "  Were  you  looking  for  the 
basin  ?  " 

"  That  is  it,"  Mazaroff  said  hurriedly.  "  You 
see,  I  thought  I  knew  my  way  about  the  suite, 
having  been  so  often  in  Barlow's  rooms.  I — I 
slipped  getting  out  of  a  cab  just  now  and  fell  on  a 
newly  finished  piece  of  asphalte  pavement.  May  I 
use  your  basin  ?  " 

Maxgregor  grimly  intimated  that  the  basin  was  at 
the  disposal  of  the  intruder,  who  did  not  cease  to 
pour  out  floods  of  apologies.  Mazaroff  was  pretty 
much  at  his  ease  again  by  this  time.  He  was  quite 
concerned  to  see  Maxgregor  looking  so  pale.  Was 
he  suffering  from  that  old  malarial  fever  again  ? 

"  Sprained  ankle,"  Maxgregor  said  sketchily. 
"  Nothing  very  much  to  speak  of.  As  a  matter  of 
fact,  I  have  never  been  in  better  health  in  my  life. 
It  seems  to  me " 

Maxgregor  paused  and  broke  off  with  a  quick 

N 


194        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

sneeze.  The  thing  was  ostensibly  done,  and  served 
very  well  to  hide  an  exclamation  of  surprise.  For 
in  the  sitting-room,  with  his  finger  to  his  lips, 
Lechmere  stood.  He  shook  his  head  warningly,  and 
pointed  to  Mazaroff.  Then  he  crossed  the  room  and 
took  his  place  behind  the  heavy  curtain  before  the 
window.  No  sooner  was  he  secure  of  his  hiding 
place  than  he  walked  out  and  signified  Maxwell  to 
approach  the  window. 

In  a  casual  way  Maxwell  sauntered  into  the  sitting- 
room.  He  first  moved  the  curtain,  and  appeared 
to  be  looking  idly  into  the  street  below. 

"  Good  boy !  "  Lechmere  whispered  approvingly. 
"  What  is  that  fellow  doing  here  ?  Said  he  came 
here  in  mistake,  for  a  suite  of  rooms  occupied  by  a 
man  named  Barlow  ?  Didn't  come  here  to  murder 
Maxgregor  as  you  might  have  been  inclined  to 
imagine.  Well,  I  quite  agree  that  Mazaroff  has  made 
a  mistake  and  shall  be  able  to  prove  to  you  why  a 
little  later  on.  I  want  you  to  shut  the  bedroom  door 
for  a  time  till  I  give  you  the  signal — a  tap  of  the 
blind  on  the  window — and  keep  Mazaroff  talking. 
Make  him  feel  at  his  ease,  if  possible.  Big  events 
are  in  the  air." 

Maxwell  sauntered  back  to  the  bedroom  and 
pulled  the  door  to  behind  him.  Mazaroff  was 
quite  himself  again  by  this  time,  and  stood  chatting 
gaily  to  Maxgregor.  It  was  no  part  of  the  latter's 
policy  to  let  Mazaroff  know  that  he  had  been 
nearly  done  to  death  at  Merehaven  House. 

"  How  did  you  come  by  that  sprained  ankle  ?  " 
he  asked.  "  You  seemed  all  right  just  an  hour  or 
so  ago,  when  I  saw  you  at  Merehaven  House." 

"  That's  where  I  did  it,"  Maxgregor  lied  coolly. 
He  had  no  scruples  whatever  in  dealing  with  a  man 


IN   MAXGREGOR'S   CHAMBERS          195 

like  Mazaroff.  "  Slipped  on  a  confounded  banana 
skin,  which,  by  the  way,  is  a  little  more  dangerous 
than  orange  peel.  It's  a  nuisance  just  at  present, 
when  I  am  so  busy  with  Asturian  affairs  and  the 
king  is  such  a  handful  to  hold.  I  daresay  some 
confounded  Russian  placed  that  banana  skin  for 
me." 

"  Don't  forget  that  Prince  Mazaroff  is  a  Russian," 
Maxwell  laughed. 

"  Oh,  you  need  not  trouble  about  me,"  Mazaroff 
said  in  his  most  fascinating  manner.  "There  are 
Russians  and  Russians.  I  am  too  enlightened  and 
progressive  to  feel  comfortable  in  my  own  country, 
and  that  is  why  I  spend  so  much  time  in  England. 
So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  you  have  all  my  sympathy 
in  your  efforts  to  check  the  Russian  influence  in 
the  Balkans.  What  was  that  ?  " 

From  the  sitting-room  beyond  there  came  the 
sounds  of  somebody  gently  whistling.  The  thing 
was  natural  enough,  and  yet  Mazaroff  listened  with 
a  certain  suggestion  of  uneasiness.  It  came  to 
Maxwell,  quick  as  a  flash,  that  here  was  something 
that  Mazaroff  must  not  see,  for  a  moment  at  any 
rate.  Lechmere  had  charged  him  distinctly  to  keep 
Mazaroff  talking  for  a  time. 

"  My  man,  I  expect,"  he  explained.  "  I  told  him 
to  come  here  about  this  time,  and  I  suppose  he  is 
whistling  to  let  me  know  that  he  is  handy.  When 
anybody  is  in  trouble,  as  lam  at  present,  it  behoves 
one  to  be  careful.  As  one  accused  of  betraying 
diplomatic  secrets " 

"  Not  at  all,  my  dear  fellow,"  Mazaroff  said  graci- 
ously. "  Pray  do  not  apologise.  There  is  a  great 
deal  too  much  fuss  made  over  that  kind  of  thing. 
The  sale  of  diplomatic  secrets  is  a  brisk  one  in  my 


196        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

own  country,  or  how  would  so  many  of  our  poor 
aristocracy  live  ?  And  you  are  innocent,  of  course. 
The  mere  fact  that  Lancing  has  made  away  with 
himself  proves  that." 

Maxwell  turned  away  so  that  the  speaker  should 
not  see  his  face.  It  was  hard  work  to  keep  his 
hands  off  the  ruffian  who  was  one  of  the  main 
causes  of  the  trouble.  Perhaps  Maxgregor  divined 
that,  for  he  hastened  to  change  the  conversation. 
Meanwhile,  the  whistling  in  the  next  room  went 
on 

Lechmere  carelessly  pulled  a  section  of  the  curtrin 
aside  and  looked  out.  He  saw  a  little  man  with  a 
clean-shaven  face  and  shrewd  eye  sitting  swinging 
his  legs  on  the  edge  of  the  table  and  whistling  very 
softly  to  himself.  The  little  man  seemed  to  be 
quite  at  home ;  he  was  perfectly  cool  and  collected, 
save  that  his  face  was  shining  with  something  that 
looked  like  an  intense  perspiration.  He  had  a 
small  bag  with  him  of  which  he  seemed  to  be  very 
careful.  If  he  was  satisfied  with  himself,  Lechmere 
grinned  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  is  still  more 
satisfied. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  Lechmere  had  discovered 
all  that  he  desired  for  the  present.  He  swayed 
the  knot  of  the  blind  cord  backwards  and  forwards 
gently,  as  if  the  draught  from  the  open  windows  was 
moving  it.  The  knot  tapped  idly  on  the  panes,  and 
Maxwell's  keen  ear  heard  it.  The  time  had  come 
to  get  rid  of  Mazaroff.  Maxwell  opened  the  door 
leading  into  the  corridor. 

"  Excuse  me  if  I  ask  you  to  go,"  he  said.  "  I 
have  some  business  to  settle  with  Maxgregor,  and  I 
have  to  be  on  my  way  to  Dover  within  an  hour. 
It  is  not  very  polite  of  me,  but " 


IN   MAXGREGOR'S   CHAMBERS          197 

And  Maxwell  shrugged  his  shoulders.  Mazaroff 
departed  with  a  graceful  apology.  He  passed  along 
the  corridor  till  he  came  to  the  open  sitting-room 
door.  He  looked  in  and  grabbed  for  the  shoulders 
of  the  little  man  who  sat  whistling  on  the  table. 

"  You  fool ! "  he  said.  "  If  you  only  knew  how 
near  you  have  been  to  betraying  everything !  But 
I  am  to  blame  as  I  mistook  the  room,  perhaps  be- 
cause the  door  was  open.  Come  along  at  once." 

The  little  man  murmured  something  to  the  effect 
that  he  was  ready  to  do  anything  for  a  quiet  life,  and 
obediently  followed  Mazaroff.  Lechmere  crept  from 
the  shadow  of  the  curtain  and  closed  the  outer  door 
of  the  sitting-room.  Then  he  called  for  Maxwell,  who 
came  immediately. 

"  Is  there  anything  fresh  ?  "  he  demanded  eagerly. 
"  Is  there  anything  that  I  can  do  for  you  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Lechmere  said  crisply.  "  You  can  do  a 
great  deal  for  me,  and  you  need  ask  no  questions 
for  the  present,  for  I  have  no  time  to  reply  to  them. 
Ask  Maxgregor  if  he  has  any  of  his  fishing  tackle 
here.  If  he  has,  ask  him  to  let  me  have  a  long  length 
of  salmon  line  on  a  reel.  The  sooner  I  have  it  the 
better  I  shall  be  pleased." 

"  In  the  bottom  drawer  of  my  writing  table," 
Maxgregor  called  out.  "  What  are  you  up  to  now  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XXX 

HER  FRIEND,   THE   QUEEN 

T  ESSIE  sat  listening  in  a  vague  way  to  a  girl  who 
,J  sat  chatting  by  her  side.  She  had  not  the 
least  idea  what  the  girl  was  saying,  nor,  indeed,  had 
she  any  clue  to  the  identity  of  the  speaker.  The 
talk  was  a  little  confidential,  and  was  evidently  the 
continuation  of  some  confidence  began  at  another 
time.  Jessie  nodded  and  smiled,  and  by  instinct 
looked  sympathetic  at  the  right  moment. 

"  And  what  would  you  say  to  Reggie  under  the 
circumstances  ?  "  the  girl  asked.  "  It  isn't  as  if 
George  had  behaved  badly,  because  he  really  hasn't, 
you  know.  Vera,  you  are  not  listening." 

Jessie  laughed  in  a  dreamy  kind  of  way.  The 
whole  thing  was  getting  horribly  on  her  nerves  now. 
She  felt  how  utterly  impossible  it  would  be  to  keep 
up  much  longer.  She  was  utterly  tired  out ;  she 
longed  for  something  to  inspire  her  flagging  strength. 
She  began  to  understand  why  men  drink  in  certain 
circumstances.  But  she  was  just  equal  to  the 
occasion. 

"  I  am  dead  tired,  I  am  half  asleep,"  she  said. 
"  And  my  head  is  racking.  Ask  me  again,  my  dear, 
when  I  am  capable  <  f  a  coherent  thought  or  two. 
And  as  to  Reggie,  why,  what  can  you  do  better  than 
trust  your  own  woman's  instinct.  Have  I  not  al- 
ways thought  that " 

But  there  was  no  reason  for  Jessie  to  prevaricate 
any  further.  Relieved  at  last  from  her  onerous 

198 


HER   FRIEND,   THE   QUEEN  199 

duties,  Lady  Merehaven  was  crossing  the  room. 
There  was  no  chance  of  escape  so  far  as  Jessie  could 
see,  the  guests  had  dwindled  down  to  a  comfortable 
number  including  the  Queen  of  Asturia.  She  would 
have  to  wait  so  long  as  the  king  chose  to  play  bridge  ; 
it  would  be  folly  to  leave  him  there.  Lady  Mere- 
haven  came  and  dropped  into  a  seat  by  Jessie's  side. 

"  My  dear  Ada,  money  is  bid  for  you,"  she  said 
to  the  confidential  girl.  "Your  father  is  positively 
fussing  for  you  in  the  hall.  He  said  something 
about  an  early  excursion  on  the  river  to-morrow." 

The  girl  rose  with  a  pleasant  little  laugh  and  kissed 
Jessie.  Evidently  there  was  some  very  clever 
friend  of  Vera  Galloway's.  As  she  flitted  away 
Lady  Merehaven  turned  to  Jessie. 

"  I  have  heard  the  most  extraordinary  idea  sug- 
gested to-night,"  she  said.  "I  understand  from 
your  uncle  that  the  idea  emanated  from  Prince 
Mazaroff.  He  said  that  you  were  not  yourself,  but 
somebody  else.  It  sounds  very  Irish,  you  know, 
but  there  it  is.  My  dear  child,  how  pale  you  are. 
Short-sighted  as  I  am,  I  can  see  how  pale  you  are." 

"  I  have  a  dreadful  headache,"  Jessie  said  un- 
steadily. "  What  did  the  prince  mean  ?  " 

"  Really,  I  have  no  idea.  I  could  see  that  he 
was  very  annoyed  about  something.  He  told  some 
queer  story  to  the  effect  that  there  was  a  girl  in  a 
Bond  Street  shop  who  was  the  very  image  of  you. 
The  only  distant  branch  of  our  family  whose  women 
are  remarkably  like  ours  are  the  Harcourts. 
But  I  understand  that  they  have  disappeared  al- 
together. It  is  just  possible,  of  course,  that  one  of 
the  girls  might  have  come  down  to  service  in  a  shop. 
Have  you  heard  anything  of  this  ?  " 

"  I   have  been  told    so,"    Jessie    said    boldly. 


200        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"Ronald  Hope  told  me.  But  why  should  you 
trouble  ? " 

"  My  dear,  this  is  rather  a  serious  business.  You 
heard  what  happened  to  Countess  Saens.  You 
heard  what  the  countess's  maid  said.  There  is  no 
doubt  that  this  girl,  who  is  so  very  like  you,  actually 
committed  that  robbery.  I  am  going  to  ask  your 
uncle  to  enquire  into  the  matter.  We  shall  have 
the  police  arresting  you  fora  swindler  or  something 
of  that  kind." 

Jessie  suppressed  a  tendency  to  burst  into  hyste- 
rical laughter.  It  was  fortunate  for  her  that  some- 
body called  Lady  Merehaven  away  at  this  moment, 
or  Jessie's  laughter  had  turned  to  tears.  She  crept 
away  through  the  little  room  where  the  bridge 
players  were  deep  in  their  game  into  the  conserva- 
tory beyond.  The  king  was  still  playing,  and  be- 
hind his  chair  was  a  dark,  military  looking  man  with 
a  stern  face.  It  was  quite  evident  that  he  was  on 
guard  over  the  royal  presence.  Jessie's  mood 
changed  when  once  she  found  herself  alone.  She 
felt  sad  and  desolate  and  lonely  and  utterly  beyond 
her  strength.  She  placed  her  aching  head  between 
her  hands  and  the  tears  ran  down  her  cheeks. 

For  a  time  she  wept  there  quietly.  Her  eyes  were 
still  misty  with  tears  when  the  noise  of  rustling 
skirts  attracted  her  attention.  She  wiped  her  face 
hurriedly,  but  it  was  too  late  to  take  away  all  traces 
of  emotion.  And  as  the  tears  were  brushed  from 
the  long  lashes,  Jessie  saw  the  queen  before  her. 

The  queen  was  smiling  graciously,  but  the  smile 
turned  to  a  look  of  concern.  She  sat  down  by  the 
girl's  side  and  slipped  an  arm  round  her  neck.  It  was 
one  of  the  soft,  womanly  touches  that  endeared  the 
queen  to  all  who  knew  her.  She  was  all  a  woman  now. 


HER   FRIEND,   THE    QUEEN  201 

"  What  is  the  matter  ?  "  she  asked.  "  I  have 
seen  too  much  trouble  in  my  life  not  to  feel  for  it 
in  others.  And  you  are  so  brave  and  firm  as  a  rule. 
Let  me  help  you  ;  forget  who  I  am.  Let  me  be  as 
good  a  friend  to  you  as  you  have  been  to  me,  Vera." 

The  last  word  touched  Jessie.  It  seemed  horrible 
to  play  a  part  with  such  a  woman  as  this.  And  yet 
the  night  would  have  been  a  bad  one  for  Asturia 
without  the  guardian  girl  from  Bond  Street.  Jessie 
felt  a  strong  inclination  to  tell  the  truth. 

"  I  had  better  not  say,  perhaps,"  she  said. 
"  And  yet  you  can  help  me.  There  is  one  thing  that 
I  dread — and  that  is  to  stay  to-night  under  this 
roof.  Pray  don't  ask  me  why,  the  secret  is  not  all 
my  own.  I  feel  that  I  dare  not  stay." 

The  queen  asked  no  curious  questions ;  there  was 
a  phase  of  temperament  here  that  puzzled  her.  Very 
softly  she  took  Jessie's  hand  in  hers  and  stroked  it. 

"  I  know  that  nervous  restlessness,"  she  said. 
' '  Who  better  ?  But  then  with  me  every  shadow  hides 
an  enemy.  Even  my  friends  are  enemies  sometimes. 
So  you  dread  staying  here  to-night.  Why  ?  " 

"  I  cannot  tell  you.  madame."  Jessie  said  in  a 
low  voice.  "  And  yet  if  we  were  elsewhere  I  might 
be  tempted  to  speak  the  truth.  Again,  I  must  be 
out  very  early  in  the  morning.  If  you  could  help 
me " 

"  Help  you  !  Of  course  I  can  help  you  !  What 
is  the  use  of  being  a  queen  if  I  cannot  do  a  little 
thing  like  that  ?  One  of  my  women  has  fallen  ill, 
and  I  am  rather  awkwardly  situated.  If  you  will 
come  with  me  to-night  you  shall  take  her  place. 
How  would  that  suit  you  ?  " 

Jessie  gasped  with  pleasure.  The  whole  burden 
of  her  trouble  seemed  to  have  fallen  from  her 


202        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

shoulders.  She  rose  to  her  feet  as  if  anxious  to 
escape  at  once.  A  new  colour  came  into  her  face. 
The  queen  smiled,  and  pulled  the  girl  down  into 
her  seat  again. 

"  You  are  as  impetuous  and  headstrong  as  you 
are  courageous,"  she  said.  "I  cannot  go  yet. 
There  is  something  still  to  be  done.  A  message 
has  to  be  sent  to  Captain  Alexis,  the  gentleman  who 
you  can  see  from  here  standing  behind  the  king's 
chair.  It  is  his  duty  not  to  allow  his  majesty  out 
of  his  sight.  But  you  need  not  fear.  I  shall  make 
everything  right  with  Lady  Merehaven." 

"  If  you  only  knew  what  a  relief  it  is  to  me !  " 
Jessie  murmured.  "  I  dared  not  stay  here  to-night.  I 
should  have  betrayed  everything.  And  after  being 
so  wonderfully  successful  so  far " 

Jessie  paused,  conscious  that  she  was  saying  too 
much.  The  queen  regarded  her  with  astonishment. 
A  look  of  haughtiness — pride,  something  like  suspi- 
cion, too,  crossed  her  handsome,  weary  face. 

"  Evidently  there  is  more  here  than  meets  the 
eye,"  she  said  coldly.  "  I  have  pledged  my  word, 
and  I  am  not  going  to  break  it  now.  Possibly  you 
may  have  a  story  to  tell  me  presently." 

"  I  will  tell  you  everything  if  you  will  only  be 
kind  to  me,"  Jessie  exclaimed.  "  Ah,  madame,  if 
you  only  knew  what  I  had  gone  through  and  suffered 
for  you  to-night " 

"  True,"  the  queen  said  hastily  and  with  a  change 
of  tone.  "  I  had  forgotten  for  the  moment.  Only  I 
hate  mysteries.  My  life  has  been  poisoned  by 
them  for  years.  Stay  here  and  compose  yourself, 
and  I  will  see  Lady  Merehaven.  Then  I  will  send 
for  your  maid  and  give  her  instructions  what  to  do. 
Don't  stir  from  here." 


HER   FRIEND,   THE   QUEEN  203 

Jessie  murmured  her  thanks.  She  was  only  too 
glad  to  remain  where  she  was  and  get  a  little  time 
to  think.  At  any  rate,  she  was  free  from  the  dread 
of  having  to  pass  a  night  at  Merehaven  House.  It 
was  all  very  well  for  her  to  pose  as  Vera  Galloway 
when  dressed  for  the  part  and  under  the  shaded 
lights.  But  in  the  strong  light  of  day  in  her  simple 
night  clothing,  and  with  her  hair  free,  it  would  be  a 
miracle  if  Vera  Galloway's  maid  did  not  detect  the 
difference. 

Jessie  lay  back  and  closed  her  eyes  with  a  blissful 
sense  of  freedom  from  danger.  Surely  it  would 
make  no  difference  if  she  told  the  queen  everything  ? 
After  all,  she  had  done  as  much  for  Asturia  as  Vera 
had  done,  and  perhaps  more.  She  had  proved  her 
courage  and  her  devotion,  and  no  girl  could  have 
done  more.  Just  for  a  moment  Jessie  fell  into  a 
quiet  doze. 

She  was  awakened  at  length  by  the  entry  of  a 
servant,  who  came  with  the  information  that  the 
carriage  of  the  Queen  of  Asturia  was  at  the  door, 
that  her  majesty  desired  to  see  Miss  Galloway. 
There  was  a  new  life  and  strength  in  Jessie  as  she 
rose  to  obey  the  summons. 

"  Say  I  am  coming  at  once,"  she  said.  "  Her 
majesty  is  in  the  hall,  I  suppose  ?  " 


H 


CHAPTER   XXXI 

A  SURPRISE   FOR   JESSIE 

ER  majesty  was  in  the  hall  as  Jessie  had 
anticipated.  She  was  chatting  quite  gaily 
with  Lady  Merehaven  as  the  girl  came  up.  She 
flashed  Jessie  a  significant  glance. 

"  Your  aunt  has  been  pleased  to  accede  to  my 
whim,"  she  said.  "  And  so  you  are  coming  with 
me,  Vera.  I  understand  your  maid  is  sending 
everything  to  our  hotel.  Good-night,  Lady  Mere- 
haven,  and  please  do  not  allow  those  people  to  play 
cards  too  long.  My  dear  child,  come  along." 

"  It  is  a  very  great  honour  for  the  child,"  Lady 
Merehaven  murmured.  "  Good-night,  madame, 
good-night." 

The  queen  swept  Jessie  into  the  brougham  before 
her.  There  was  a  tiny  electric  lamp  behind  the 
queen's  head  so  that  it  shone  full  on  Jessie's  face. 
Jessie  felt  the  latter's  eyes  going  all  over  her. 

"  Now  tell  me  your  story,"  she  said.  "  Tell  me 
freely  and  don't  be  afraid.  I  shall  be  your  good 
friend." 

"  You  give  me  courage  to  proceed,"  Jessie  mur- 
mured. "  In  the  first  place  I'll  tell  you  why  I  so 
dreaded  passing  the  night  at  Merehaven  House.  I 
should  certainly  have  been  found  out  in  the  morning 
and  then  everything  would  have  been  ruined.  Not 
that  I  cared  for  myself,  but  for  the  sake  of  others. 
Madame,  is  it  possible  that  you  fail  to  see  that  I 
am  not  Miss  Galloway  at  all  ?  " 


A   SURPRISE   FOR   JESSIE  205 

The  queen  fairly  gasped  with  astonishment. 
Those  dark  eyes  of  hers  took  in  Jessie's  identity. 
It  was  a  long  time  before  she  spoke  again. 

"  You  are  quite  right,"  she  said  slowly  and 
thoughtfully.  "  I  notice  little  subtle  differences 
now  you  mention  it.  And  yet  the  likeness  is  wonder- 
ful. My  dear,  you  are  a  lady." 

"  I  am  a  lady,  yes.  My  father  was  Colonel  Har- 
court,  in  fact  I  am  a  connection  of  the  Merehavens. 
There  has  been  nothing  vulgar  about  my  adventure 
to-night." 

"  That  I  am  absolutely  certain  of.  Really,  the 
likeness  is  marvellous.  And  I  have  been  talking 
to  you  and  confiding  in  you  all  the  evening  as  if  you 
were  my  friend  Vera  Galloway." 

"  Instead  of  your  friend  Jessie  Harcourt,"  the 
girl  said  with  a  wistful  smile.  "  Believe  me,  I  am 
as  devoted  to  your  interests  as  is  the  one  whose 
part  I  play.  I  have  given  proof  of  it  enough  to- 
night. I  might  have  gone  on  deceiving  you  to  the 
end  but  I  could  not  do  it." 

"  I  see,  I  see.  You  are  telling  the  truth,  you  are 
making  me  love  you.  And  why  did  you  do  this  for 
one  who  a  little  time  ago  was  a  perfect  stranger  to 
you  ?  If  you  know  anything  of  our  cause " 

"  But  I  do  now — and  you  can  command  me  in 
any  way.  Perhaps  I  had  better  begin  at  the  be- 
ginning. It  was  Vera  Galloway  who  took  me  up.  She 
came  to  me  at  a  moment  when  I  was  absolutely 
desperate.  It  is  strange  how  the  warp  of  fate  has 
dragged  me  into  this  business !  " 

"  You  cannot  tell  how  deeply  I  am  interested/* 
the  queen  said  softly. 

"  It  is  very  good  of  your  majesty.  Miss  Galloway 
came  to  me.  She  had  heard  of  me,  evidently. 


206        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

She  came  to  me  at  the  very  moment  when  I  was 
dismissed  from  my  situation.  I  had  been  accused 
of  a  disgraceful  flirtation  with  the  son  of  one  of  the 
shop  customers.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  coward  had 
tried  to  kiss  me  and  he  let  all  the  blame  rest  on  my 
shoulders.  I  was  dismissed  without  any  chance 
of  a  further  situation,  I  had  only  a  few  shillings  in 
the  world  and  an  invalid  sister  partially  dependent 
upon  me.  At  that  moment  I  was  desperate  enough 
for  anything.  Quite  early  the  complication  began. 
The  name  of  the  coward  who  brought  all  this  trouble 
on  me  was  Prince  Boris  MazarofL" 

"  I  am  not  surprised,"  the  queen  said  with  just  a 
touch  of  weary  scorn  in  her  voice.  "  We  are  all 
creatures  of  fate.  I  know  that  I  am.  But  the  coin- 
cidence is  a  little  strange." 

"  Miss  Galloway  wrote  me  a  letter  and  asked  me 
to  call  upon  her  in  my  working  dress.  When  I  saw 
her  I  could  not  but  be  struck  by  the  amazing  likeness 
between  us.  Then  she  unfolded  her  plan — the  plan 
that  we  were  to  change  places  for  a  little  time. 
Someone  whom  she  cared  for  was  in  trouble  and  it 
was  impossible  that  she  should  get  away  without 
being  suspected.  Your  Majesty  may  guess  that  the 
somebody  in  trouble  was  no  other  than  Mr.  Charles 
Maxwell  and  at  the  bottom  of  the  trouble  was  the 
missing  papers  relating  to  Asturia." 

The  queen  nodded,  her  dark  eyes  gleaming  in  the 
light  of  the  lamp. 

"  I  see,"  she  exclaimed.  "  Those  papers  that 
found  their  way  into  the  hands  of  the  Countess  Saens. 
The  papers  that  she  was  robbed  of  almost  as  soon 
as  she  had  obtained  possession  of  them.  What  an 
amazing  daring  thing  to  do.  I  seem  to  see  quite 
clearly  now.  Miss  Galloway  slipped  off  and  stole 


A   SURPRISE   FOR   JESSIE  207 

them  while  all  the  time  her  friends  and  relations 
thought  that  she  was  in  the  house  of  her  uncle ! 
Ah,  what  will  not  a  woman  do  for  the  sake  of  the 
man  she  loves  !  And  she  was  quite  successful !  " 

"  Quite.  We  know  that  by  the  scene  made  by  the 
countess'  maid  at  Merehaven  House.  I  did  not 
guess  until  the  maid  looked  at  me  and  said  that  I 
was  the  thief.  Of  course  everybody  who  heard  it 
laughed,  but  the  woman  stuck  to  her  story.  The 
statement  was  a  flood  of  light  to  me,  when  I  heard 
it  I  knew  then  exactlv  what  had  happened  as  well 
as  if  I  had  been  present  and  seen  the  robbery." 

"  Vera  Galloway  saved  Asturia  and  her  lover  at 
the  same  time,"  the  queen  said.  "  But  why  did  not 
Miss  Galloway  come  back  and  resume  her  proper 
place  ?  " 

"  Oh,  that  is  the  unfortunate  part  of  it,"  Jessie 
said  sadly.  "  She  was  so  overcome  with  her  good 
fortune  that  she  walked  down  Piccadilly  in  a  dazed 
state.  Then  she  was  run  over  by  a  cab  and  taken 
to  Charing  Cross  Hospital.  She  is  there  at  this 
moment." 

A  cry  of  passionate  anger  broke  from  the  queen. 
Her  hands  were  clasped  together  closely. 

"  Of  all  the  misfortunes  !  "  she  gasped.  "  Will 
nothing  ever  come  right  here  ?  Go  on  and  tell  me 
the  worst." 

"  The  worst  is  that  Vera  lost  the  papers,"  Jessie 
resumed.  "When  the  news  of  the  accident  came  to 
me,  I  slipped  out  and  with  great  risk  went  to  the 
hospital.  Dr.  Varney  gave  me  a  permit.  Vera 
had  lost  the  papers,  she  had  not  the  least  idea  what 
had  become  of  them.  But  that  is  not  all.  Countess 
Saens  has  found  out  that  a  girl  answering  to  my 
description  had  been  taken  to  the  hospital  and  she 


2o8        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

went  there.  Fortunately  she  was  refused  admission. 
But  she  will  get  this  in  the  morning  and  that  is  why 
I  want  to  go  out  so  early.  The  suspicions  of  the 
countess  are  aroused,  she  begins  to  understand. 
And  there  is  Prince  MazarofL" 

"  What  can  he  possibly  have  to  do  with  it  ?  " 
the  Queen  asked. 

"  Your  Majesty  is  forgetting  that  Prince  Mazaroff 
knows  both  Vera  Galloway  and  Jessie  Harcourt, 
the  shop  girl  whom  he  honoured  with  his  hated 
attentions.  He  knows  that  there  is  a  girl  in  London 
identical  in  looks  to  Miss  Galloway,  he  heard  what 
Countess  Saens's  maid  said.  Indeed  he  went  so  far  to- 
night to  hint  to  Lord  Merehaven  that  a  trick  was 
being  played  upon  her  ladyship.  There  is  only  one 
thing  that  prevented  his  discovery  outright." 

"  And  what  was  that  ?  "  the  queen  asked.  "  Why 
should  he  hesitate  ?  " 

"  Because  he  was  not  absolutely  sure  of  his 
ground,"  Jessie  said.  "  He  knew  the  shop  girl 
Jessie  Harcourt.  But  he  was  puzzled  because  he 
did  not  imagine  that  a  shop  girl  would  be  so  wonder- 
fully at  ease  in  good  society  and  have  all  the  manners 
of  it  at  her  fingers'  ends.  He  did  not  know  that 
the  Bond  Street  girl  was  of  gentle  birth,  and  he 
was  puzzled.  Do  you  see  my  point  ?  " 

The  queen  saw  the  point  perfectly  well  and 
admitted  that  it  was  a  very  clever  one. 

"  I  am  more  than  glad  that  you  have  told  me  all 
this,"  she  said  in  a  thrilling  voice.  "  Your  frankness 
may  save  the  situation  in  the  long  run.  One  thing 
is  certain,  wo  must  get  Vera  out  of  the  hospital  and 
back  again  here  without  delay.  And  for  the  time 
being  you  must  disappear.  I  seem  to  have  as 
many  enemies  here  as  I  have  in  Asturia,  only  they 


A   SURPRISE   FOR   JESSIE  209 

are  cleverer  ones.  These  people  are  all  in  the  pay 
of  Russia.  Countess  Saens  must  be  baffled  at  any 
cost.  Wait  a  moment." 

The  carriage  had  pulled  up,  but  the  footman  did 
not  dismount  from  the  box.  So  far  as  Jessie  could 
judge,  the  carriage  had  stopped  nowhere  near  the 
Queen  of  Asturia's  headquarters.  She  smiled  as 
Jessie  looked  up  with  a  questioning  eye. 

"  You  are  wondering  why  we  are  here,"  she  said. 
"  It  is  imperative  before  I  sleep  to-night  that  I 
should  have  a  few  words  with  General  Maxgregor. 
I  understand  that  he  has  a  suite  of  rooms  in  the  big 
block  of  flats.  I  fancy  those  are  his  windows  on  the 
second  floor,  those  with  the  lights  up.  Somebody 
has  just  come  in  and  looked  out  of  the  window. 
My  child,  who  is  that  ?  " 

The  queen's  voice  changed  suddenly,  her  tones 
were  harsh  and  rasping.  A  man  in  evening  dress 
stood  in  one  of  the  lighted  windows  looking  out. 

"  You  saw  what  happened  at  Lady  Merehaven's," 
the  queen  went  on.  "We  left  the  king  there  with 
the  faithful  Alexis  behind  his  chair.  We  have  come 
direct  here.  The  whole  thing  is  maddening.  Who 
do  you  reckon  that  man  to  be  who  was  looking  out 
of  the  window  ?  " 

Jessie  looked  up  with  bewildered  eyes.  The 
old  dreamy  feeling  was  coming  over  her  again. 
She  gazed  steadily  at  the  figure  framed  in  the  flood 
of  light. 

"  There  is  no  mistake  about  it,"  she  gasped. 
"  That  is  his  majesty  the  King  of  Asturia  1 " 


CHAPTER   XXXII 

NO  TIME  TO  LOSE 

LECHMERE  would  have  walked  off  with  his 
fishing  line,  but  Maxgregor  called  him  back. 
There  was  no  reason  for  mystery  over  this  business 
so  far  as  the  General  could  see.     But  Lechmere  shook 
his  head. 

"  I'll  be  back  in  a  very  few  minutes,"  he  said, 
"  and  then  you  can  tell  me  what  has  happened. 
On  the  other  hand  I  shall  have  a  great  deal  to  tell 
you.  Which  way  did  Mazaroff  go  ?  " 

So  far  as  Maxwell  could  judge,  Marazoff  had  not 
left  the  building.  He  was  pretty  sure  that  the  Rus- 
sian had  not  come  to  Maxgregor  with  any  sinister 
design.  Beyond  question,  Mazaroff  was  looking 
for  a  certain  suite  of  rooms,  though  Maxgregor 
doubted  it. 

"  The  fellow  would  have  shewn  his  teeth  fast 
enough  it  it  had  not  been  for  Maxwell,"  he  said. 
"  It  is  possible  that  he  is  looking  for  a  certain  suite 
of  rooms,  I  should  not  be  at  all  surprised  to  find  that 
he  has  not  yet  left  the  building." 

Lechmere  muttered  something  to  the  effect  that 
he  was  absolutely  certain  of  it.  He  was  very  anxious 
to  know  if  there  was  a  back  staircase  from  the  floor 
and  whether  it  was  much  used  so  late  at  night. 

"  It  isn't  used  at  all  after  the  servants  have  gone," 
Maxgregor  explained.  "  There  are  several  very 
rapid  young  men  living  on  this  floor  and  they  find 
the  back  staircase  useful  for  the  purpose  of  evading 


NO   TIME   TO   LOSE  211 

creditors.  The  stairs  are  at  the  far  end  of  the 
corridor." 

Lechmere  murmured  his  thanks  and  hurried  away. 
He  had  hardly  disappeared  before  there  was  a  tiny 
tap  on  the  door  and  Jessie  came  in.  She  seemed 
anxious  and  uneasy,  nor  was  her  confusion  lessened 
by  the  expression  of  blank  astonishment,  not  to 
say  displeasure,  on  Maxwell's  face. 

"  Vera,"  he  cried  reproachfully.  "  Oh,  I  forgot. 
Events  are  moving  so  fast  that  it  is  difficult  to  keep 
pace  with  them.  And  you  are  so  wonderfully 
like  Vera  Galloway.  I  had  to  be  told  the  facts, 
you  see.  Oh,  of  course  you  told  me  yourself  by  the 
hospital.  But  what  are  you  doing  here  ?  " 

"  I  came  with  the  queen,"  Jessie  explained. 
"  I  am  going  to  her  hotel  with  her.  But  the  queen 
declared  that  she  could  not  rest  to-night  unless  she 
had  seen  General  Maxgregor.  Is  he  better  ?  " 

"  I  am  going  on  as  well  as  possible,"  Maxgregor 
said  from  his  bed.  "  It  is  dreadful  to  be  laid  up 
just  now,  at  this  time  of  all  others.  It  was  good  of 
the  queen  to  think  of  me,  but  it  occurs  to  me  to  be 
dreadfully  imprudent  for  her  to  come  here  now." 

"  But  she  had  to,"  Jessie  persisted.  "  There  was 
no  help  for  it.  And  another  extraordinary  thing 
happened.  We  left  the  king  at  Merehaven  House 
being  closely  guarded  by  Captain  Alexis.  When 
we  came  away  his  majesty  was  actually  playing 
bridge.  And  yet,  as  the  carriage  pulled  up  outside 
these  mansions,  we  saw  the  king  seated  in  one  of 
the  windows." 

"  Impossible,"  Maxgregor  cried.  "  The  king  has 
not  been  here  at  all." 

"  So  I  should  have  said  if  I  had  been  able  to 
disbelieve  my  own  eyes,"  Jessie  went  on.  "  I 


212        THE   WEIGHT   OF  THE   CROWN 

tell  you  I  have  just  seen  the  king.  At  first  I  thought 
that  he  was  actually  here.  Now  I  know  that  he 
must  be  on  the  next  suite  to  this.  He  was  in  even- 
ing dress  just  as  we  left  him,  but  he  had  his  orders 
on.  And  the  queen  is  in  a  position  to  confirm 
what  I  say." 

"  I  am  certainly  in  a  position  to  do  what  Miss 

er this  lady  says,"  came  a  voice  from  the 

doorway  as  the  queen  came  in.  "  We  must  get  to 
the  bottom  of  this." 

Maxgregor  groaned.  He  admired  the  pluck  and 
spirit  of  the  queen  but  he  deplored  the  audacity 
that  brought  her  here.  The  thing  was  absolutely 
madness.  The  queen  smiled  anxiously. 

"  Are  you  any  worse,  my  dear  old  friend,"  she 
asked.  "  Are  you  suffering  at  all  ?  " 

"  My  pain  is  more  mental  than  physical,"  Max- 
gregor replied.  "  Oh,  why  did  you  come  here, 
why  did  you  not  leave  matters  to  me  ?  Heaven  only 
knows  how  many  spies  are  dogging  your  footsteps. 
And  it  is  impossible  that  the  king  can  be  where 
you  say  he  is." 

"  The  king's  recuperative  powers  are  marvellous," 
Maxwell  remarked.  "  At  one  hour  he  is  apparently 
at  the  point  of  death,  an  hour  later  he  is  an  honoured 
guest  of  the  Foreign  Secretary.  A  little  time  later 
this  young  lady  and  I  see  him  seated  in  the  draw- 
ing-room of  Countess  Saens's  house  and  quite  at  his 
ease  there.  At  this  moment  he  seems  to  be  in  two 
places  at  once.  Can  anybody  explain.  Can  you  ?  " 

The  last  question  was  put  to  Lechmere,who  had 
stepped  into  the  room  again.  The  diplomatist 
smiled. 

"  I  hope  to  explain  the  whole  thing  and  prove 
what  has  happened  before  long,"  he  said.  "  It 


NO   TIME   TO   LOSE  213 

was  to  aid  you  in  that  purpose  that  I  borrowed 
the  salmon  line.  Is  your  majesty  safe  here  ?  " 

"  Is  my  majesty  safe  anywhere  ?  "  the  queen 
asked  in  bitter  contempt.  *'  I  have  taken  every 
precaution.  There  was  nobody  to  be  seen  as  I 
drove  up  and  I  have  sent  my  horses  to  wait  for  me 
in  the  square.  Then  I  could  not  stop  any  longer, 
I  could  not  wait  for  my  dear  little  friend  here  to 
bring  me  news.  And  I  was  most  miserably  anxious 
about  General  Maxgregor.  Is  there  any  news  ?  " 

"  I  was  just  coming  to  the  news,"  Lechmere  said. 
"  Our  enemies  have  tried  on  the  most  dangerous 
and  daring  thing  that  I  have  ever  heard  of.  When 
the  Mercury  appears  to-morrow  it  will  contain  a 
long  and  particular  account  of  an  interview  between 
the  King  of  Asturia  and  the  Editor.  I  have  seen  the 
Editor  of  the  Mercury,  and  by  a  strategem  I  became 
possessed  of  an  advanced  copy  of  the  paper.  I  should 
should  like  your  majesty  to  see  what  it  is  that  the 
British  public  will  find  on  their  breakfast  tables 
later  on." 

Lechmere  produced  his  copy  of  the  Mercury 
and  flattened  it  on  the  table.  Then  he  handed  it 
to  the  queen.  She  waved  the  sheet  aside  impa- 
tiently, she  could  not  read  to-night,  her  eyes  were 
too  heavy. 

"  Let  us  have  the  pith  of  it,"  she  said.  "  I  am 
curious  to  know  what  it  all  means." 

Lechmere  proceeded  to  read  the  article  aloud. 
It  was  well  done  and  the  insinuations  it  conveyed 
were  worse  than  the  actual  truth.  For  instance, 
it  was  not  boldly  said  that  the  King  of  Asturia  had 
visited  the  offices  of  the  Mercury  in  a  state  of  intoxi- 
cation, but  it  was  shrewdly  inferred.  The  brutal 
callous  indifference  of  the  whole  thing  was  most 


214        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

strongly  marked.  The  king  had  abdicated  his 
throne,  he  cared  nothing  for  his  country  or  what 
his  subjects  thought  of  it.  Here  was  an  article 
calculated  to  arouse  the  greatest  sensation  in  Europe. 
The  queen  was  not  slow  to  see  the  danger  of  it. 

"  But  the  thing  is  all  a  lie,"  she  cried.  "  It  is 
impossible.  We  know  that  the  king  has  not  left 
Merehaven  House  since  dinner-time.  And  this 
interview  is  stated  to  have  taken  place  later.  Is 
this  what  your  journalism  is  coming  to  in  this 
country,  Mr.  Lechmere  ?  " 

"  Not  our  journalism,  madame,"  Lechmere  said 
coolly.  "  No  English  daily  paper  would  have  been 
so  depraved  and  unpatriotic  as  to  print  that  inter- 
view without  consulting  some  Minister  of  State. 
As  a  matter  of  fact  the  Mercury  is  American,  it 
is  published  to  sell,  it  is  the  pioneer  paper  floated 
to  capture  the  cream  of  our  Press.  Hunt  has  no 
scruples." 

"  But  he  has  invented  the  whole  thing,"  the  queen 
said.  "  It  is  a  dastardly  fraud." 

"  No,"  Lechmere  said  calmly.  "  No  doubt  some- 
body called  on  Hunt  and  told  him  that  story.  I 
believe  Hunt  to  be  genuinely  under  the  impression 
that  he  had  the  honour  of  the  confidence  of  the  King 
of  Asturia.  In  a  way  he  has  been  hoaxed  with  the 
rest." 

"  If  we  could  only  prove  it,"  the  queen  said  under 
her  breath.  "  If  we  could  only  prove  it." 

"  I  hope  to  be  able  to  do  so  within  the  next  half 
hour,"  Lechmere  went  on  in  his  cool  way.  "  I 
have  a  pretty  shrewd  idea  what  has  taken  place. 
In  a  measure  we  have  to  thank  the  little  scheme 
planned  out  between  this  young  lady  here  and  her 
double,  Miss  Vera  Galloway.  It  suggested  an  idea 


NO   TIME   TO   LOSE  215 

to  Countess  Saens.  And  fortunately  for  her  the 
material  was  at  hand.  After  all  said  and  done 
the  Editor  of  the  Mercury  could  only  have  seen  the 
king  in  the  most  casual  way  and  he  would  be  easily 
imposed  on.  In  the  circumstances,  he  would  be 
quite  ready  and  even  eager  to  be  imposed  upon. 
The  fact  that  the  whole  affair  subsequently  proved 
to  be  a  hoax  would  not  in  the  least  disturb  Hunt. 
He  would  get  his  sensation  and  his  extra  copies 
sold,  the  mistake  itself  would  be  forgotten  in  a  day 
or  two." 

"  But  not  in  Europe,"  the  queen  cried.  "  By 
to-morrow  Europe  will  be  ringing  with  that  vile  lie. 
The  telegraph  will  be  put  in  motion,  our  enemies 
will  see  that  it  is  promptly  reported  from  one  end 
of  Asturia  to  another.  Once  the  lie  is  float rd  on  the 
stream  of  public  opinion  we  shall  never  catch  it 
up  again.  The  whole  thing  has  been  engineered 
with  the  deliberate  intention  of  ruining  us.  What 
can  we  do  ?  " 

"  What  man  can  do  I  have  already  done,"  Lech- 
mere  said.  "  The  thing  will  be  contradicted  and 
proved  to  be  a  lie  by  the  Herald  newspaper,  to  whose 
Editor  I  have  told  everything.  The  two  papers 
will  start  fairly,  the  one  with  the  lie  and  the  other 
with  the  truth.  And  as  you  know  the  Herald  is 
looked  upon  as  a  respectable  journal.  The  tele- 
graph that  flashes  the  news  for  the  one  will  flash 
the  refutation  for  the  other.  And  I  have  taken  an 
extremely  bold  step.  The  Herald  to-morrow  will 
be  responsible  for  the  announcement  that  so  far 
from  resigning  his  crown,  King  Erno  of  Asturia  has 
started  already  by  a  series  of  special  trains  to  Asturia. 
Madame,  you  will  see  that  this  is  done  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XXXIII 

THE   FISH  ON  THE  LINE 

A  GLEAM  of  admiration  flashed  into  the  eyis 
X\.  of  the  queen.  Here  was  a  man  after  her  own 
heart.  And  Lechmere  had  done  marvellously  well. 
True,  he  could  not  stamp  out  the  lie,  he  could  not 
prevent  the  thing  being  reported  from  one  end  of 
Europe  to  another,  but  he  could  refute  it.  The 
mere  fact  that  King  Erno  had  started  for  Asturia 
would  naturally  create  a  great  impression. 

"  It  shall  be  done,"  the  queen  cried.  "  I  will  go 
back  to  Merehaven  House  and  fetch  the  king.  He 
shall  travel  without  delay  under  the  care  of  Cap- 
tain Alexis.  I  would  that  I  had  another  trusty 
friend  to  accompany  him,  but  it  seems  to  me  that 
I  need  you  all  in  London. 

"  You  do  not  need  me,  madame,"  said  Maxwell 
earnestly.  "  I  mean  you  don't  need  me  here.  For 
the  moment  the  good  friends  you  have  here  will 
suffice.  It  is  necessary  that  I  should  be  out  of  the 
way  for  a  time,  and  nobody  would  guess  where  I 
have  gone.  Let  me  go  to  Asturia." 

The  queen  thanked  Maxwell  with  a  look  of  grati- 
tude from  her  dark  eyes.  Then  she  turned  to  Lech- 
mere.  "  How  can  all  this  travelling  machinery 
be  pu<:  in  motion  so  quickly  ?  "  she  asked. 

"  Fortunately  you  have  come  to  the  right  quarter 
for  information,"  Lechmere  said.  "  As  an  old 
queen's  messenger,  there  are  few  services  for  getting 
over  the  ground  that  I  do  not  know.  Before  now 


THE   FISH   ON   THE   LINE  217 

I  have  been  despatched  at  a  minute's  notice  to  the 
other  end  of  Europe  with  instructions  to  reach  my 
destination  in  a  given  time.  In  an  hour  or  so, 
the  programme  will  be  complete.  I  will  see  to  the 
special  train  to  Dover  and  the  special  steamer  to 
cross  the  Channel.  After  that  it  is  a  mere  matter  of 
using  the  cables.  If  the  king  does  not  care  to 
undertake  the  journey " 

The  queen  laughed  in  a  strange  metallic  fashion. 
Her  eyes  were  gleaming  with  intensity  of  purpose. 

"  The  king  is  going,"  she  said  between  her  teeth. 
"  You  may  be  quite  sure  about  that.  If  he  declines, 
or  shews  the  least  infirmity  of  purpose,  he  will  be 
drugged  and  taken  home  that  way.  He  will  shew 
himself  in  the  capital.  A  manifesto  will  be  issued 
directly  he  gets  there.  There  is  one  thing  yet  to 
be  done." 

The  queen  paused  and  looked  significantly  at 
Lechmere.  He  smiled  and  shook  his  head. 

"  I  know  exactly  what  your  majesty  means," 
he  said.  "  It  is  useless  for  us  to  take  all  this  trouble 
if  we  are  to  be  confronted  with  a  mystery  which 
will  enable  certain  people  to  say  that  the  King 
of  Asturia  is  still  in  London.  I  have  taken  a  step 
to  entirely  obviate  that  business.  If  your  majesty 
has  a  few  minutes  to  spare  I  shall  be  able  to  render 
your  mind  easy  on  that  score." 

The  queen  expressed  her  willingness  to  stay, 
and  Lechmere  left  the  room.  He  paused  to  light 
a  cigar  in  the  corridor  and  don  his  overcoat  again. 
Then  he  walked  casually  to  the  outer  door  of  the 
next  suite  of  rooms  and  strolled  calmly  in.  The 
second  door  of  the  suite  was  locked  and  Lechmere 
gently  tried  the  handle. 

"  So   far   so   good,"    he   muttered.     "  There   is 


218        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

another  door  into  the  corridor  leading  to  the  back 
stairs.  I  need  not  worry  about  the  back  stairs  as 
my  ferret  is  there.  If  the  thing  were  not  so  serious, 
what  a  fine  comedy  it  would  make  !  Now  for  it !  ' 

Lechmere  tapped  smartly  on  the  door,  a  murmur 
of  voices  within  ceased  and  the  door  was  opened 
and  shewed  the  face  of  Prince  Mazaroff  himself. 
He  turned  a  little  pale  as  he  saw  Lechmere  and 
stammeringly  asked  what  the  latter  wanted.  Lech- 
mere laughed  in  an  irritating  kind  of  way. 

"  Well,  that's  pretty  cool,"  he  said.  "  I  come 
to  the  suite  of  rooms  of  my  friend  Bevis  to  smoke  a 
cigar  and  I  find  you  here  demanding  why  I  come. 
Is  Bevis  here  ?  " 

"  No,  he  isn't,"  Mazaroff  said  curtly  as  he  came 
into  the  front  room  and  closed  the  door  behind 
him.  "  And,  what  is  more,  he  is  not  likely  to  be 
in.  I  have  a  friend  in  there  if  you  must  know." 

Mazaroff  grinned  with  an  assumption  that  Lech- 
mere could  understand  that  the  situation  was 
rather  a  delicate  one.  But  Lechmere  knew  better 
than  that  for  the  voice  in  the  inner  room  had  been 
unmistakably  that  of  a  man.  But  it  served  the 
purpose  of  the  old  diplomat  to  let  the  thing 
pass. 

"  Very  well,"  he  said.  "  I  will  take  your  word 
for  it.  But  where  is  my  friend  Bevis  ?  " 

"  I  haven't  the  remotest  idea  where  your  friend 
Bevis  is  or  where  he  has  got  to,"  Mazaroff  said 
with  a  sneer  in  his  voice.  "  Bevis  is  a  young  man 
who  has  lately  outrun  the  constable.  He  inferred 
to  me  that  he  was  going  to  retire  to  the  country 
for  a  time.  He  offered  me  this  little  place  on  my 
own  terms  and  I  am  to  give  it  back  to  our  friend 
if  I  get  tired  of  it.  It  is  a  more  swagger  pied  d  terre 


THE   FISH   ON   THE   LINE  219 

than  my  own  and  I  jumped  at  the  chance.  Now 
you  know  everything." 

Lechmere  nodded  as  if  perfectly  satisfied,  though 
he  did  not  know  everything  by  any  means.  He 
sat  down  and  helped  himself  to  a  cigarette  to 
Mazaroffs  annoyance.  But  Lechmere  appeared 
not  to  see  it.  He  had  his  own  game  to  play  and 
he  was  not  to  be  deterred. 

"  I  want  to  have  a  little  chat  with  you,"  he  said. 
"  We  shall  never  get  a  better  chance  than  this. 
I  want  if  possible  to  enlist  your  sympathies  on  the 
side  of  the  Queen  of  Asturia.  If  I  could  gain  your 
assistance  and  that  of  Madame  Saens  I  should  be 
more  than  satisfied." 

Mazaroff  muttered  something  to  the  effect  that 
he  should  be  delighted.  But  his  aspect  was  uneasy 
and  guilty.  He  could  not  shake  off  his  air  of  fear. 
From  time  to  time  he  cocked  his  ears  as  if  listening 
for  something  in  the  inner  room.  Lechmere  sat 
there  grimly  smoking  and  looking  at  the  ceiling. 
He  was  not  quite  sure  what  card  he  should  play 
next. 

"  I  am  thinking  of  going  to  Asturia  myself," 
he  said.  "  I'm  not  quite  old  enough  to  get  rusty 
yet.  And  there  is  a  fine  field  for  intrigue  and 
adventure  yonder.  I  understand  that  the  king 
returns  to-morrow.  It  will  be  in  all  the  papers 
in  the  morning." 

"  The  deuce  it  will !  "  Mazaroff  exclaimed  blankly, 

"  Why  that  will  upset  all  our  plans 1  mean. 

that  it  will  be  a  checkmate  to  Russia.  Considering 
all  that  we  have  done  ...  is  that  a  fact,  Lech- 
mere ?  " 

"  My  dear  chap,  surely  I  have  no  object  in  telling 
you  what  is  false  I  "  Lechmere  said.  "  Of  course 


220        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

it  is  a  fact.  The  king  ought  never  to  have  come 
away,  he  would  not  have  come  away  if  the  queen 
could  have  trusted  him.  She  thought  that  she 
could  do  her  country  good  by  visiting  London. 
But  the  king  will  be  looked  after  much  better  in 
future,  I  promise  you.  Have  you  seen  Peretori 
lately?" 

The  latter  question  was  shot  dexterously  at 
Mazaroff  like  a  snap  from  a  gun.  The  latter  glanced 
swiftly  at  Lechmere,  but  he  could  make  nothing  of 
the  other's  inscrutable  face.  The  Russian  began 
to  feel  as  if  he  had  blundered  into  a  trap  ;  he  had  the 
same  fear  as  a  lying  witness  in  the  box  under  the 
horror  of  a  rasping  cross-examination  from  a  sharp 
barrister. 

"  I  don't  know  that  I  am  acquainted  with  the 
man  you  mention  ?  "  he  faltered. 

"  Oh,  nonsense.  Take  your  memory  back,  man. 
Not  know  Peretori !  Think  of  that  night  five  years 
ago  in  Paris  when  you  and  I  and  Scandel  and 
the  rest  were  supping  with  those  Oderon  people. 
And  you  say  that  the  name  of  Peretori  is  not  known 
to  you !  " 

Mazaroff  laughed  in  a  sulky  kind  of  way.  He 
said  something  to  the  effect  that  his  memory  was 
not  as  good  as  it  might  be.  From  time  to  time  he 
glanced  at  the  inner  door  of  the  suite,  he  seemed  as 
if  he  could  not  keep  his  eyes  off  it. 

"  Do  you  think  that  you  could  find  his  address 
for  me  ? "  Lechmere  persisted.  "  I  have  every 
reason  to  believe  that  he  is  somewhere  in  London  at 
the  present  moment.  Ah,  look  there.  To  think 
of  it !  And  you  pretending  all  this  when  the  very 
man  in  question  is  in  the  next  room.  What  a 
coincidence  1 " 


THE   FISH   ON   THE   LINE  221 

"  Call  me  a  liar  at  once,"  Mazaroff  said  thickly 
"  How  dare  you  insinuate  that  I  am  not — not " 

**  Telling  the  truth,"  Lechmere  said  coolly.  "  That 
stick  yonder  belongs  to  Peretori.  Nobody  else 
possesses  one  like  it,  as  I  have  heard  Peretori  boast. 
If  you  can  deny  what  I  say  after — but  I  shall  make 
no  apologies  for  seeing  into  the  matter  for  myself." 

With  a  sudden  dart  Lechmere  was  by  the  door 
leading  into  the  inner  room.  Mazaroff  started 
after  him  crying  out  something  in  Russian  at  the 
top  of  his  voice.  But  he  was  too  late  to  prevent 
Lechmere  from  entering  the  inner  room.  The 
place  was  quite  empty  now  save  for  a  hat  and  a 
pair  of  gloves  on  the  table,  both  of  which  tended  to 
prove  that  the  room  had  been  occupied  a  few  mo- 
ments before. 

"  This  is  a  most  unpardonable  outrage,"  Mazaroff 
cried.  He  had  quite  recovered  himself  within  the 
last  minute  or  two,  he  was  his  cunning  self  again. 
"  I  did  not  ask  you  to  come  here  at  all.  And  as 
to  the  evidence  of  that  stick  it  is  worth  nothing. 
I  could  get  a  copy  of  it  made  that — but  after  what 
has  happened  I  think  you  had  better  give  me  the 
benefit  of  your  absence." 

"  Quite  so,"  Lechmere  said  pleasantly,"  I  apolo- 
gise. I'll  go  out  this  way,  I  think.  Awfully  sorry 
to  have  ruffled  you  so  much.  Good-night." 

Lechmere  departed  into  the  corridor  by  the  far 
door,  which  he  closed  swiftly  behind  him.  As  he 
did  so  there  came  a  sound  of  stumbling  and  falling 
from  the  region  of  the  back  stairs  and  curses  in  a 
ruffled  voice  that  had  a  note  of  pain  in  it. 

"  Got  him,"  Lechmere  said  triumphantly.  "  I 
was  certain  of  my  man.  Now  for  it  1  '* 


CHAPTER   XXXIV 

A  ROYAL  ACTOR 

LECHMERE  darted  along  in  the  direction  of 
the  secondary  staircase  from  whence  the 
noise  of  the  falling  body  had  come.  It  was  somewhat 
dark  there,  for  the  gas  jet  at  that  point  had  been 
turned  down  and  there  were  no  electrics  there. 
At  the  foot  of  the  stairs  could  be  seen  the  outline 
of  somebody  who  had  become  entangled  with  a 
maze  of  salmon  line  and  who  was  held  up  like  a 
great  blundering  bee  in  a  spider's  web.  Lechmere 
could  hear  him  muttering  and  swearing  to  himself 
as  he  struggled  to  be  free. 

But  there  was  no  time  to  waste.  Doubtless 
Mazaroff  would  be  out  of  his  room  in  a  little  time, 
and  it  was  just  possible  that  he  might  come  that 
way.  Lechmere  slid  down  the  bannisters  as  a 
schoolboy  might  have  done  ;  he  had  an  open  pocket 
knife  in  his  teeth.  Noiselessly  he  came  down  upon 
the  struggling  man  and  gripped  him  by  the  shoulders. 

"  Don't  you  make  a  sound,"  he  hissed.  "  Not 
one  word  unless  you  want  this  knife  plunged  into 
your  body.  Be  still,  and  no  harm  shall  come  to 
you." 

The  other  man  said  nothing.  He  allowed  him- 
self to  be  cut  free  from  the  salmon  line  and  dragged 
behind  a  kind  of  housemaid's  closet  at  the  foot  of 
the  stairs.  At  the  same  moment  Mazaroff  came 
along.  The  two  men  there  could  see  the  dark 
outline  of  his  anxious  face  as  he  lighted  a  vesta 
to  aid  him  in  seeing  what  was  going  on. 


mm  mm  H    '  »>• 
PUT  " 

"Don't  yon  make  a  sound,"  he  hissed. 


The  Weight  of  the  Crown. —  Page 


A   ROYAL   ACTOR  223 

**  Got  away,  I  expect,'*  he  muttered.  "  A  precious 
near  thing,  anyway.  But  if  he  is  clear  off  the  premises 
I  may  as  well  go  this  way  myself." 

So  close  did  Mazaroff  pass  the  other  two  that 
Lechmere  could  easily  have  touched  him.  His 
companion  gave  no  sign,  perhaps  Lechmere's 
fingers  playing  about  his  throat  warned  him  of 
the  danger  of  anything  of  the  kind.  Mazaroff 
disappeared  in  the  gloom,  a  door  closed  with  a 
click,  there  was  a  muffled  echo  of  retreating  foot- 
steps and  then  Lechmere's  grim  features  relaxed 
into  a  smile.  He  jogged  up  his  captive. 

"  Now  we  shall  be  able  to  get  along,"  he  said, 
"  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to  precede  me,  sir  ?  " 
"  Do  you  know  who  I  am  ?  "  the  other  man  replied. 
"  Because  if  you  are  not  aware  of  my  identity " 

"  I  am  quite  aware  of  your  identity,"  Lechmere 
said  coolly.  "  And  I  should  do  again  what  I  am 
doing  now  if  necessary.  I  daresay  you  regard 
the  thing  as  a  magnificent  joke,  but  when  you 
come  to  realise  the  enormous  mischief  that  you  have 
done,  why " 

Lechmere  shrugged  his  shoulders  by  way  of 
completing  his  sentence.  He  pushed  the  other 
man  along  the  corridor  until  he  came  to  Maxgregor's 
rooms,  where  he  hustled  his  prisoner  inside.  He 
stood  winking  and  blinking  there  in  the  light,  the 
very  image  of  the  king  with  his  orders  on  his  breast 
and  his  flame-coloured  hair  gleaming  in  the  light. 
Shamefaced  as  he  appeared,  there  was  yet  a  kind 
of  twinkle  in  his  eyes. 

"  Behold  your  king,"  Lechmere  said.  "  Behold 
the  source  of  the  trouble.  Your  majesty  must 
find  the  heat  very  much  in  that  wig.  Let  me  remove 
it." 


224        THE   WEIGHT   OF  THE   CROWN 

He  coolly  twitched  the  flame-coloured  thatch 
away  and  disclosed  a  close  crop  of  black  hair. 
The  queen  threw  up  her  hands  with  a  gesture  of 
amazement. 

"  Peretori,"  she  cried.  "  Prince  Peretori !  So 
you  are  the  cause  of  all  the  mischief.  Will  you  be 
so  good  as  to  explain  yourself  ?  " 

"  There  is  no  very  great  resemblance  to  the  king, 
now  that  the  wig  is  removed,"  Jessie  whispered 
to  Maxwell  who  stood  beside  her.  "  Do  you  know 
I  rather  like  his  face.  Who  is  he  ?  " 

"  Prince  Peretori  of  Nassa,  a  second  cousin  of 
the  King  of  Asturia,"  Maxwell  explained.  "  There 
are  many  mad  princes  in  Europe  but  none  quite  so 
mad  as  Peretori.  He  is  not  bad  or  wicked,  he  is 
simply  utterly  irresponsible.  The  great  object  in 
his  life  is  the  playing  of  practical  jokes.  Also  he 
is  a  wonderfully  fine  actor — he  would  have  made  a 
great  name  on  the  stage.  It  is  one  of  his  boasts 
that  he  can  make  up  to  resemble  anybody." 

"  He  doesn't  look  like  an  enemy,"  Jessie  said  in 
the  same  low  voice. 

"  He's  not,"  Maxwell  replied.  "  In  fact  Peretori 
is  nobody's  enemy  but  his  own.  I  should  not  be 
in  the  least  surprised  to  find  that  he  had  been  made 
use  of  in  this  business." 

"  Why  have  you  committed  this  crowning  act 
of  folly  ?  "  the  queen  asked  coldly. 

"  Is  it  any  worse  than  usual  ?  "  the  prince  asked. 
"  My  dear  cousin,  I  did  it  for  a  wager.  The  price 
of  my  success  was  to  be  a  thousand  guineas.  Now 
a  thousand  guineas  to  me  at  the  present  moment 
represents  something  like  salvation.  I  am  terribly 
hard  up,  I  am  painfully  in  debt.  In  this  country 
those  commercial  brutal  laws  take  no  heed  of 


A   ROYAL   ACTOR  225 

station.  I  ignored  certain  civil  processes  with  the 
result  that  a  common  tradesman  can  throw  me 
into  gaol  at  any  moment  for  a  debt  that  I  simply 
cannot  pay.  That  I  am  always  ready  for  a  joke  you 
are  aware.  But  a  remunerative  joke  like  this  was 
not  to  be  denied." 

"  Therefore  you  believe  that  you  have  won  the  bet 
from  Countess  Saens  and  Prince  Mazaroff  ?  "  Lech- 
mere  asked.  "  Do  they  admit  that  you  have  won  ?  " 

"  They  do,  my  somewhat  heavy-handed  friend," 
the  prince  cried  gaily.  "  Though  how  on  earth  you 
came  to  know  that  the  countess  and  Mazaroff  had 
any  hand  in  the  business ' 

"  We  will  come  to  that  presently,"  Lechmere 
resumed.  "  You  talked  that  matter  over  with  the 
countess  and  Mazaroff  and  they  gradually  persuaded 
you  to  try  this  thing.  You  were  to  go  to  the 
editor  of  the  Mercury  and  pass  yourself  off  as  the 
King  of  Asturia.  You  were  to  tell  him  all  kinds 
of  damaging  things,  and  he  was  to  believe  you.  If 
he  believed  you  to  be  the  king,  you  earned  your 
money." 

"  Never  was  a  sum  of  money  gained  more  easily," 
Peretori  cried. 

"  Yes,  but  at  what  a  cost !  "  the  queen  said  sternly. 
"  Peretori,  do  you  ever  consider  anything  else  but 
your  own  selfish  amusements  ?  Look  at  the  harm 
you  have  done.  Once  the  printed  lie  crosses  the 
border  into  Asturia,  what  is  to  become  of  us  all ! 
Did  you  think  of  that  ?  Can't  you  understand  that 
all  Europe  will  imagine  that  the  king  has  resigned 
his  throne  ?  Desperate  as  things  are,  you  have 
made  then  ten  times  worse." 

Peretori  looked  blankly  at  the  speaker.  He  was 
like  a  boy  who  had  been  detected  in  some  offence 

P 


226        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

and  for  the  first  time  realized  the  seriousness  of  it. 

"  I  give  you  my  word  that  I  never  thought  of 
that  for  a  moment,"  he  said.  "  It  is  one  of  my 
sins  that  I  never  think  of  anything  where  a  jest  is 
concerned.  That  smug  little  editor  swallowed 
everything  that  I  said  in  the  most  amusing  fashion 
I  had  won  my  money  and  I  was  free.  My  dear 
cousin,  if  there  is  anything  that  I  can  do 

The  queen  shook  her  head  mournfully.  She 
was  quite  at  a  loss  for  the  moment.  Unless,  perhaps, 
the  tables  could  be  turned  in  another  way. 

"  You  have  been  the  dupe  of  two  of  our  most 
unscrupulous  enemies,"  the  queen  went  on.  "  They 
are  agents  of  Russia,  and  at  the  present  moment 
their  great  task  is  to  try  and  bring  about  the  abdica- 
tion of  the  King  of  Asturia.  Once  this  is  done,  the 
path  is  fairly  clear.  To  bring  this  about  these  people 
can  use  as  much  money  as  they  please.  They 
have  been  baffled  once  or  twice  lately,  but  when  they 
found  you  they  saw  a  good  chance  of  doing  our 
house  a  deadly  harm.  A  thousand  pounds,  or 
fifty  times  that  amount  mattered  little.  How  did 
they  find  you  ?  " 

"  I  have  been  in  England  six  months,"  Peretori 
said.  "  I  dropped  my  rank.  There  was  an  English 
girl  I  was  very  fond  of.  I  was  prepared  to  sacrifice 
everything  so  long  as  she  became  my  wife.  It 
doesn't  matter  how  those  people  found  me.  The 
mischief  is  done." 

"  The  mischief  is  almost  beyond  repair,"  Lechmere 
said.  "  But  why  did  you  come  here  ?  Why  did 
you  sit  before  the  open  windows  in  the  next  suite 
of  rooms  ?  " 

"  That  was  part  of  the  plan,  my  dear  sir,"  Peretori 
exclaimed.  "  Probably  there  was  somebody  watch- 


A   ROYAL   ACTOR  227 

ing  who  had  to  be  convinced  that  I  was  the  King 
of  Asturia.  I  flatter  myself  that  my  make-up  was 
so  perfect  that  nobody  could  possibly " 

"  Still  harping  on  that  string,"  the  queen  said 
reproachfully.  "  Why  don't  you  try  and  realize 
that  the  great  harm  that  you  have  done  has  to  be 
repaired  at  any  cost  ?  With  all  your  faults,  you 
were  never  a  traitor  to  your  country.  Are  you 
going  to  take  the  blood-money,  knowing  what  it 
means  ?  I  cannot  believe  that  you  have  stooped 
so  low  as  that." 

The  face  of  Peretori  fell;  a  shamed  look  came 
into  his  eyes. 

"  I  shall  take  it,"  he  said.  "  I  shall  spoil  the 
Egyptians.  But  at  the  same  time,  I  can  see  a  way 
to  retrieve  the  mischief  that  I  have  done.  It  is 
not  too  late  yet." 


CHAPTER   XXXV 

A  RACE   FOR  A  THRONE 

A  SILENCE  fell  on  the  little  group  for  a  time.  All 
Peretori's  gaiety  had  vanished.  He  looked  very 
moody  and  thoughtful  as  he  sat  there  turning  recent 
events  over  in  his  mind.  With  all  his  faults,  and 
they  were  many,  he  was  an  Asturian  at  heart.  He 
was  prepared  to  do  a  deal  for  the  sake  of  his  country. 
He  had  always  promised  himself  that  some  day  he 
would  settle  down  and  be  a  credit  to  his  nationality. 
The  career  of  mad  jest  must  stop  some  time.  It  was 
impossible  not  to  understand  the  mischief  that  he  had 
just  done.  But  there  was  a  mobile  and  clever  brain 
behind  all  this  levity,  and  already  Peretori  began  to 
see  his  way  to  a  subtle  and  suitable  revenge. 

"  Have  those  stolen  papers  anything  to  do  with 
it  ?  "  he  asked.  "  That  Foreign  Office  business,  you 
know  ? " 

"They  have  everything  to  do  with  it,"  said 
Lechmere.  "  As  a  matter  of  fact,  Countess  Saens 
has  had  those  papers  stolen  from  her  in  turn.  She 
cannot  move  very  far  without  them.  That  she 
suspects  where  they  have  gone  is  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that  she  put  your  highness  up  to  your  last 
escapade.  The  way  she  was  tricked  herself  inspired 
her.  If  you  can  do  anything  to  even  matters  up— 

"  I  will  do  more  than  that,"  Peretori  cried.  "  I 
have  thought  of  something.  It  is  quite  a  good  thing 
that  the  countess  regards  me  as  no  better  than  a 
feather-headed  fool.  She  will  never  guess  that  I 


A   RACE   FOR   A   THRONE  229 

have  been  here,  she  will  never  give  you  people  credit 
for  finding  out  what  you  have  done.  It  was  very 
clever  of  Mr.  Lechmere  to  do  so." 

"  Not  at  all,"  Lechmere  muttered.  "  I  have 
seen  your  smart  impersonations  before,  and  guessed 
at  once  who  I  had  to  look  for.  My  finding  you  right 
here  was  a  bit  of  luck.  Will  you  be  so  good  as  to 
tell  us  what  you  propose  doing  ?  " 

"  I  think  not,  if  you  don't  mind,"  the  prince 
replied.  "  I  might  fail,  you  see.  But,  late  as  it  is,  I 
am  going  to  call  upon  Countess  Saens.  My  excuse 
is  that  I  have  won  my  wager,  and  that  it  was  a  cash 
transaction.  Has  the  queen  a  telephone  in  her 
private  apartments  at  the  hotel  ?  " 

The  queen  explained  that  the  telephone  was  there 
as  a  matter  of  course.  Peretori  rose  to  his  feet. 
"  Then  we  had  better  adjourn  this  meeting  for  the 
present,"  he  said.  "  It  will  be  far  more  cautious 
and  prudent  for  the  queen  to  return  to  her  hotel. 
You  had  better  all  go.  Only  somebody  must  be 
imported  here  to  look  after  General  Maxgregor, 
whose  life  is  so  valuable  to  Asturia." 

Lechmere  explained  curtly  that  he  would  see  to 
Maxgregor's  safety,  after  which  he  would  follow  to  the 
queen's  hotel.  With  a  nod  and  a  smile,  Peretori 
disappeared,  after  removing  all  traces  of  his  make-up. 

He  was  quite  confident  that  he  would  be  able  to 
turn  the  tables  on  those  who  had  made  use  of  him 
in  so  sorry  a  way.  The  queen  could  make  up  her  mind 
that  she  should  hear  from  him  before  the  night  was 
over. 

In  a  dazed,  heavy  way  Jessie  found  herself  in  a 
handsome  sitting  room  in  the  queen's  hotel.  She 
became  conscious  presently  that  Lechmere  was  back 


230        THE    WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

again,  and  that  he  was  discussing  events  and  recent 
details  with  the  queen.  Jessie  wondered  if  these 
people  ever  knew  what  it  was  to  be  tired.  Usualh 
she  was  so  utterly  tired  with  her  long  day's  work  thai 
she  was  in  bed  a  little  after  ten  o'clock,  and  it  wns 
past  two  now.  She  could  hardly  keep  her  eyes  open 
She  sat  up  as  the  queen  spoke  to  her. 

"  My  poor  dear  child,"  she  said  quite  tenderly, 
"  you  are  half  dead  with  fatigue.  I  must  take  care 
of  you  after  all  you  have  done  for  me.  And  you 
are  going  to  bed  without  delay." 

Jessie  murmured  that  she  was  only  too  ready 
to  do  anything  necessary.  But  the  queen  would 
not  hear  of  it.  Jessie  must  go  to  bed  at  once.  The 
girl  was  too  utterly  tired  to  resist.  In  a  walk- 
ing dream  she  was  led  away  ;  a  neat  handed  maid 
appeared  to  be  undressing  her,  there  was  a  vision  of 
a  soft,  luxurious  bed,  and  then  a  dreamy  delicious 
unconsciousness.  The  queen  bent  and  kissed  the 
sleeping  face  before  she  returned  to  the  room  where 
Lechmere  awaited  her. 

"It  is  good  to  know  that  I  have  so  many  real 
friends,"  she  said.  "  And  they  are  none  the  less 
kind  because  I  have  no  possible  claim  on  them. 
You  have  arranged  everything  ?  " 

"  Thanks  to  the  telephone,  madame,"  Lechmere 
explained.  "  The  rest  I  have  managed  by  cable. 
The  special  train  to  Dover  will  be  ready  in  half  an 
hour ;  the  special  steamer  awaits  its  arrival.  The 
king  will  be  in  Asturia  almost  before  that  damning 
paragraph  reaches  there.  If  he  goes  soon." 

"  He  should  be  back  here  by  this  time,"  the  queen 
said  with  some  anxiety  in  her  voice.  "  Captain 

Alexis  promised  me But  somebody  is  coming  up 

the  stairs.    Ah,  here  they  are  !  " 


A    RACE    FOR   A   THRONE  231 

The  king  came  into  the  room  followed  by  Captain 
Alexis.  He  seemed  moody  and  depressed  now. 
Probably  the  effects  of  the  drug  were  passing  off. 
He  said  sullenly  that  he  was  going  to  bed.  The 
queen's  face  flushed  with  anger.  She  spoke  clearly 
and  to  the  point.  She  told  him  precisely  what  had 
happened.  The  king  followed  in  a  dull  yet  interested 
way. 

"  Am  I  never  to  have  any  peace  ?  "  he  asked 
brokenly.  "  What  is  the  use  of  being  a  king 
unless  one " 

"  Acts  like  a  king,"  the  queen  said.  "  Have 
you  not  brought  it  all  on  yourself  by  your  criminal 
folly  ?  Were  you  not  on  the  point  of  betraying 
us  all  ?  Now  that  is  past.  You  are  not  going  to 
bed,  you  are  going  to  be  up  and  doing.  It  is  your 
part  to  show  Europe  that  your  enemies'  plans  are 
futile.  You  will  be  on  the  way  to  Asturia  in  half 
an  hour,  and  Captain  Alexis  and  this  gentleman 
accompany  you." 

The  king  protested  feebly  ;  it  was  utterly  impos- 
sible that  this  thing  could  be.  But  all  his  weak 
objections  were  thrust  aside  by  the  importunity 
of  the  queen. 

"  You  are  going,"  she  said  firmly.  "  All  things 
are  ready.  It  is  a  thousand  pities  that  I  cannot 
accompany  you,  but  my  place  is  in  England  for 
the  next  ten  days.  All  has  been  done ;  even  now 
your  man  is  finishing  the  packing  of  your  trunks. 
In  half  an  hour  the  train  starts  for  Dover.  If  you 
are  bold  and  resolute  now,  the  situation  can  be 
saved  and  Asturia  with  it." 

The  king  protested  no  further.  He  sat  with  a 
dark,  stubborn  expression  on  his  face.  It  seemed 
to  him  that  he  was  no  better  than  a  prisoner  being 


232        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

removed  from  one  prison  to  another  with  two 
warders  for  company.  Not  that  he  had  the  slight- 
est intention  of  going  to  Asturia,  he  told  himself ; 
it  would  be  no  fault  of  his  if  ever  he  set  foot  in  his 
domains  again.  But  all  this  he  kept  to  himself. 

The  little  party  set  off  at  length,  to  the  unmis- 
takable relief  of  the  queen.  She  felt  now  that 
something  was  being  done  in  the  cause  of  home 
and  freedom.  Russia  was  not  going  to  be  allowed 
to  have  everything  her  own  way.  She  paced  up 
and  down  the  room,  a  prey  to  her  own  painful 
thoughts. 

"  Is  there  anything  more  that  I  can  do  for  you, 
madame  ? "  Lechmere  asked.  "  If  there  is,  I 
pray  that  you  command  my  services,  which  are 
altogether  at  your  disposal." 

"  Perhaps  you  will  wait  a  little  ? "  the  queen 
said.  "  I  expect  we  shall  hear  from  Peretori  presently. 
What  we  have  to  do  now  is  to  recover  those  missing 
papers.  It  is  maddening  to  think  that  they  may 
be  lying  in  the  gutter  at  the  present  moment. 
If  we  dared  advertise  for  them !  Can't  you  think 
of  some  way  ?  You  are  so  quick  and  clever  and 
full  of  resource." 

Lechmere  shook  his  head.  Perhaps  he  might 
think  of  some  cunning  scheme  when  he  had  the 
time,  but  for  the  present  he  could  not  see  his  way 
at  all.  To  advertise  would  be  exceeding  dangerous. 
Any  move  in  that  direction  would  be  pretty  sure  to 
attract  the  attention  of  the  enemy. 

"  The  enemy  is  sufficiently  alert  as  it  is,"  Lech- 
mere pointed  out.  "  There  is  Countess  Saens, 
for  instance,  who  has  a  pretty  shrewd  idea  already 
of  the  trick  that  has  been  played  upon  her.  If 
she  had  no  suspicion,  she  would  not  have  gone  to 


A   RACE   FOR   A   THRONE  233 

Charing  Cross  Hospital  to-night.  And  your  majesty 
must  see  that,  at  all  hazards,  she  must  be  prevented 
from  going  there  in  the  morning.  That  scandal 
must  be  avoided.  It  would  be  a  thousand  pities 
if  Miss  Galloway  or  Miss  Harcourt " 

"  I  see,  I  see,"  the  queen  cried  as  she  paced 
restlessly  up  and  down  the  room.  "  In  this  matter 
cannot  you  get  Prince  Peretori  to  give  you  a  hand  ? 
There  is  a  fine  fertility  of  resources  in  that  bril- 
liant brain  of  his.  And  I  am  sure  that  when  he 
left  here  to-night  he  had  some  scheme " 

The  tinkle  of  the  telephone  bell  cut  off  further 
discussion.  At  a  sign  from  the  queen  Lechmere 
took  down  the  receiver  and  placed  it  to  his  ear. 
Very  gently  he  asked  who  was  there.  The  reply 
was  in  a  whisper  that  it  could  hardly  be  heard 
by  the  listener,  but  all  the  same,  he  did  not  fail 
to  recognize  the  voice  of  Prince  Peretori. 

"  It  is  I — Lechmere,"  he  said.  "  You  can  speak 
quite  freely.  Have  you  done  anything  ?  " 

"  I  have  done  a  great  deal,"  came  the  response. 
"Only  I  want  assistance.  Come  round  here  and 
creep  into  the  house  and  go  into  the  little  sitting- 
room  on  the  left  side  of  the  door.  All  the  servants 
have  gone  to  bed,  so  you  will  be  safe.  Sit  in  the  dark 
and  wait  for  the  signal.  The  front  door  is  not 
fastened.  Can  I  count  upon  you  ?  Right !  So." 

The  voice  ceased,  there  was  a  click  of  the  telephone, 
and  the  connection  was  cut  off. 


CHAPTER   XXXVI 

ANNETTE   TELLS  A   STORY 

PRINCE  PERETORI  was  a  by  no  means  unpopu- 
lar figure  with  those  who  knew  him  both 
personally  and  by  reputation.  He  had  in  him 
that  strain  of  wild  blood  that  seems  peculiar  to  all 
the  Balkan  peninsula,  where  so  many  extravagant 
things  are  done.  In  bygone  days  Peretori  would 
have  been  a  romantic  figure.  As  it  was,  Western 
civilization  had  gone  far  to  spoil  his  character. 
Audacious  deeds  and  elaborate  practical  jokes 
filled  up  the  measure  of  his  spare  time.  For  some 
months  under  a  pseudonym  he  was  a  prominent 
figure  at  a  Vienna  theatre.  It  was  only  when  his 
identity  became  threatened  that  he  had  to  abandon 
his  latest  fad. 

But  he  was  feeling  deeply  chagrined  and  mortified 
over  his  last  escapade.  It  never  occurred  to  him 
at  the  time  that  he  was  doing  any  real  harm.  The 
King  of  Asturia,  his  cousin,  he  had  always  disliked 
and  despised  ;  for  the  king  he  had  the  highest 
admiration.  And  it  looked  as  if  he  had  done  the 
latter  an  incalculable  injury. 

That  he  had  been  touched  on  the  raw  of  his 
vanity  and  made  the  catspaw  of  others  added 
fuel  to  his  wrath.  It  would  be  no  fault  of  his  if 
he  did  not  get  even  the  Countess  Saens.  He 
would  take  that  money  and  pretend  that  he  enjoyed 
the  joke.  But  it  was  going  to  be  a  costly  business 
for  Countess  Saens  and  her  ally  Prince  Mazaroff. 

•M 


ANNETTE   TELLS    A   STORY  235 

Peretori  had  pretty  well  made  up  his  mind  what 
line  to  take  by  the  time  he  had  reached  the  house 
of  the  countess.  The  place  was  all  in  darkness, 
as  if  everybody  had  retired  for  the  night ;  but 
Peretori  had  his  own  reasons  for  believing  that 
the  countess  had  not  returned  home.  If  necessary 
he  would  wait  on  the  doorstep  for  her. 

But  perhaps  the  door  was  not  fastened  ?  With 
spies  aboijt,  the  countess  might  feel  inclined  to 
keep  the  house  in  darkness.  As  a  matter  of  fact 
the  door  was  not  fastened,  and  Peretori  slipped 
quietly  into  the  hall.  He  had  no  fear  of  being 
discovered,  if  he  were  discovered  he  had  only 
to  say  that  he  had  come  back  for  the  reward 
of  his  latest  exploit.  To  the  countess  he  had 
made  no  secret  of  the  desperate  nature  of  his  pecu- 
niary affairs. 

The  house  seemed  absolutely  at  rest,  there  could 
be  no  doubt  that  the  servants  had  all  gone  to  bed. 
Peretori  stood  in  the  hall  a  little  undecided  what  to 
do  next.  His  sharp  ears  were  listening  intently. 
It  seemed  to  him  presently  that  he  could  hear  the 
sound  of  somebody  laughing  in  a  subdued  kind  of 
way.  As  his  eyes  grew  accustomed  to  the  gloom, 
a  thread  of  light  from  under  a  distant  door  crossed 
his  line  of  vision.  Then  there  was  the  smothered 
explosion  that  was  unmistakably  made  by  a  cham- 
pagne cork. 

Peretori  crept  along  to  the  door  under  which  the 
track  of  light  peeped.  The  door  was  pulled  to,  but  the 
latch  had  not  caught.  Very  quietly  Peretori  pushed 
the  door  back  so  that  he  could  look  in.  It  was 
more  or  less  as  he  had  expected.  Seated  at  a  table 
where  a  dainty  supper  had  been  laid  out  was  a  man 
who  had  the  unmistakable  hall-mark  of  a  gentle- 


236        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

man's  servant  written  all  over  him.  On  the  other 
side  of  the  table  sat  the  countess's  maid  Annette. 

"  Another  glass,"  the  maid  was  saying.  "  It  is 
a  brand  of  the  best.  Nothing  comes  into  this  house 
but  the  best,  ma  foi  !  And  no  questions  asked  where 
things  go  to.  So  help  yourself,  mon  Robert !  There 
is  no  chance  of  being  interrupted." 

The  man  sat  there  grinning  uneasily.  There 
was  no  conspirator  here,  Peretori  decided.  The  man 
was  no  more  than  a  shrewd  cockney  servant — 
none  too  honest  over  trifles,  perhaps,  but  he  was 
not  the  class  of  man  that  political  conspirators  are 
made  of.  It  was  a  romance  of  the  kitchen  on 
Robert's  side. 

"  Bit  risky,  ain't  it  ?  "  he  said  as  he  pulled  at  his 
champagne.  "  If  your  mistress  catches  us — 

"  There  is  no  fear  of  that,  Robert.  She  is  in  bed 
sound  asleep  long  ago.  Nothing  wakes  or  disturbs 
her.  She  undressed  herself  to-night ;  she  dispensed 
with  my  services.  Oh,  a  good  thing  !  " 

"  But  risky  sometimes,  eh  ?  "  Robert  said.  "  Lor, 
the  trouble  that  some  of  'em  give  !  " 

"  Oh,  they  have  no  heart,  no  feeling.  It  is  slave, 
slave,  slave  !  But  we  make  them  pay  for  it.  I 
make  her  pay  for  it.  And  when  I  am  ready  to  go 
back  to  Switzerland,  I  know  that  I  have  not  worked 
in  vain.  And  she  called  me  a  liar  and  a  thief  to- 
night." 

Robert  muttered  something  sympathetic.  He 
had  no  wish  for  Annette  to  go  back  to  Switzerland, 
he  said.  He  had  saved  a  little  also.  Did  not 
Annette  think  that  a  respectable  boarding  house 
or  something  select  in  the  licensed  victualling  line 
might  do  ?  The  girl  smiled  coquettishly. 

"  And  perhaps  something  better,"  she  said,  drop- 


ANNETTE   TELLS   A   STORY  237 

ping  her  voice  to  a  whisper.  "  I  am  not  dishonest,  I 
do  no  more  than  other  ladies  in  my  position.  Not 
that  the  perquisites  are  not  handsome.  But  some- 
times one  has  great  good  luck.  She  call  me  thief 
and  liar  to-night ;  she  say  I  not  tell  the  truth  when 
I  say  she  was  robbed  to-night.  I  show  her  the  real 
thief,  and  still  she  is  doubtful.  The  real  thief  took 
those  papers.  Mind  you,  they  were  papers  of  great 
value.  That  is  certain.  Suppose  those  papers 
came  into  my  possession  !  Suppose  I  read  them, 
and  find  them  immense  importance  !  Suppose  that 
they  don't  belong  to  the  countess  at  all,  that  she 
has  got  them  by  a  trick !  " 

Peretori  listened  eagerly.  Now  that  he  was  au 
fait  of  the  situation,  he  knew  exactly  what  Annette 
was  talking  about.  He  blessed  his  stars  that  he  had 
come  here  to-night.  Without  doubt  Annette  was 
talking  of  the  papers  missing  from  the  Foreign  Office. 

**  Sounds  good,"  Robert  said.  "  Worth  fifty  or 
sixty  pounds  to  somebody  else  perhaps." 

"  Worth  ten  thousand  pounds  ! "  Annette  went 
on  in  the  same  fierce  whisper.  "That  money  with 
what  we  have  saved,  eh  ?  We  could  take  a  boarding 
house  in  Mount  Street  and  make  a  fortune,  you  and 
I,  my  Robert.  Look  you,  these  papers  vanish, 
they  are  taken  by  a  lady  in  a  black  dress.  My 
mistress  she  say  the  lady  meet  with  an  accident 
and  is  taken  to  a  hospital.  The  police  come  in  and 
ask  questions — ma  foi !  they  ask  questions  till  my 
head  ache.  Then  they  go  away  again,  and  my  mis- 
tress leave  the  house  again.  My  head  ache  so  that 
I  go  and  walk  up  and  down  the  pavement  to  get  a 
breath  of  air." 

"  Sounds  like  a  scene  in  a  play,"  Robert  said 
encouragingly.  "  Go  on,  ducky  I " 


238        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  As  I  stood  there  a  policeman  come  up  to  me. 
I  know  that  policeman  ;  he  is  young  to  his  work — he 
admires  me.  You  need  not  look  so  jealous,  my 
Robert,  it  is  not  the  police  where  my  eyes  go.  But 
he  has  heard  of  the  robbery.  Not  that  he  knows 
its  importance — no,  no  !  He  can  tell  all  about  the 
lady  in  Piccadilly  who  was  run  over.  And  behold 
he  has  picked  up  a  packet  of  papers !  " 

"  Good  business  ! "  Robert  exclaimed.  "  You're 
something  like  a  story-teller,  Annette." 

"  That  packet  of  papers  he  show  me,"  Annette 
went  on  gaily.  "There  is  an  elastic  band  round 
them,  and  under  the  band  an  envelope  with  the 
crest  of  the  countess  upon  it.  Those  papers  were 
to  be  give  up  to  Scotland  Yard,  mark  you.  But 
not  if  Annette  knows  anything  about  her  man. 
Behold  in  a  few  minutes  those  papers  are  in  my 
pocket.  It  is  a  smile,  a  little  kiss,  and  the  thing 
is  done !  Frown  not,  Robert,  I  have  no  use  for 
that  soft  young  policeman." 

"  You're  a  jolly  deep  one,  that's  what  you  are," 
Robert  said  with  profound  admiration.  "  I  should 
like  to  know  what  those  papers  are  all  about.  I 
suppose  you've  read  'em  ?  " 

"  No ;  they  are  in  French,  the  French  used  by 
the  educated  classes.  The  language  is  very  different 
to  my  Swiss.  But  I  have  a  friend  who  will  be  able 
to  tell  me  what  they  are  all  about.  Meanwhile,  the 
papers  are  carefully  hidden  away  where  they  cannot 
be  found.  My  policeman,  he  dare  not  speak ;  even 
if  he  did,  I  could  say  that  the  papers  were  rubbish 
which  I  had  thrown  away.  But  the  countess  she 
call  me  a  liar  and  a  thief.  She  shall  never  see  them 
again.  What's  that  ?  " 

A  sudden  violent  ringing  of  the  front  door  bell 


ANNETTE   TELLS   A   STORY  239 

startled  the  supper  party  and  the  listener  in  the 
hall.  Robert  rose  and  grabbed  his  hat  as  if  pre- 
pared for  flight. 

"  No,  no  ! "  the  fertile  Annette  whispered.  "  Don't 
go.  I'll  reply  to  that  bell.  It  is  easy  to  say  that 
I  have  not  gone  to  bed,  and  that  I  came  down. 
Stay  where  you  are.  You  are  quite  safe.  It  may 
be  a  cablegram,  they  sometimes  come  quite  late  at 
night.  Just  turn  down  the  light." 

Peretori  stepped  into  one  of  the  darkened  rooms 
and  awaited  events.  He  saw  Annette  come  into 
the  hall  and  flick  up  the  glaring  electrics.  In  her 
usual  demure  way  she  opened  the  front  door  and 
confronted  a  fussy  little  man  who  stood  on  the  step. 

"  Your  mistress,"  he  said  hurriedly.  "  Your 
mistress.  I  must  see  her  at  once — at  once ! " 

"  But  my  mistress  has  gone  to  bed,"  Annette 
protested.  "  She  is  asleep  for  some  time,  and " 

"  Then  you  must  wake  her  up,"  the  little  man 
said.  "At  once.  It  is  no  use  to  make  a  fuss,  my 
good  girl,  I  am  bound  to  see  the  countess.  Tell 
her  that  Mr.  Hunt  is  here — Mr.  Hunt  of  the  Mercury, 
whose  business  will  not  brook  delay." 


CHAPTER   XXXVII 

CROSS   PURPOSES 

PERETORI  gave  way  to  a  fit  of  silent  laughter. 
Born  comedian  that  he  was,  he  fully  appreci- 
ated the  comedy  of  the  situation.  He  did  not  need 
anyone  to  tell  him  why  Hunt  was  here.  But  there 
was  a  serious  side  to  the  matter  too,  and  the  prince 
was  not  blind  to  that.  Hunt  pushed  his  way  into 
the  dining-room  with  the  air  of  a  man  who  is  quite 
at  home  with  his  surroundings  and  put  up  the  lights. 
As  Annette  disappeared  up  the  stairs,  Peretori 
fumbled  his  way  to  the  telephone  and  gave  Lechmere 
a  whispered  call.  He  r^ad  an  idea  that  he  would  be 
in  need  of  assistance  presently,  and  the  sooner  it 
came  the  better.  Then  he  felt  that  he  could  stand 
there  in  the  dark  and  watch  the  interesting  develop- 
ment of  events. 

Annette  came  tripping  down  the  stairs  again 
presently  with  a  look  of  astonishment  on  her  face. 
She  found  Hunt  fuming  about  in  the  dining-room. 
He  turned  upon  her  sharply. 

"  Well  ?  "  he  asked.  "  You  have  aroused  your  mis- 
tress ?  I  trust  that  she  will  not  keep  me  long." 

"  But  it  is  impossible  that  she  should  do  anything 
else,  M'sieu,"  Annette  protested.  "  I  told  you  that 
my  mistress  had  gone  to  bed.  I  had  been  out  late 
to-night  myself,  and  there  were  things  to  do  after 
I  came  in.  That  is  why  I  was  ready  to  answer  your 
ring.  I  say  the  countess  was  asleep  under  the 
profound  impression  that  such  was  the  fact.  I  go 


CROSS   PURPOSES  241 

to  wake  my  mistress,  and  behold  she  is  not  in  bed 
at  all ! " 

"  What  does  it  matter  so  long  as  she  gets  my 
message  ?  "  Hunt  asked  impatiently. 

"  But  she  does  not  get  your  message,  M'sieu," 
Annette  protested.  "She  is  not  there.  The  coun- 
tess is  not  in  the  house  at  all.  I  recollect  now  that 
when  I  respond  to  your  ring  the  front  door  is  not 
fastened.  It  is  plain  to  me  that  my  mistress  is 
not  in." 

Hunt's  reply  was  more  forcible  than  polite. 
Annette's  face  flamed  with  anger. 

"  It  seems  the  fashion  at  present  for  everybody 
to  say  to  me  that  I  am  a  liar,"  she  cried.  "I  tell 
you  again  that  my  mistress  is  not  in  the  house.  You 
can  wait  if  you  like,  and  I  will  not  go  to  bed  till  she 
come  in.  There  is  no  more  to  be  said  for  the  pre- 
sent, M'sieu." 

And  Annette  walked  away  with  her  head  in  the 
air.  There  was  the  sound  of  shuffling  feet  in  the 
hall  presently  as  Robert  was  smuggled  out  of  the 
house,  and  Annette  retired  to  her  dignified  retreat 
in  the  small  back  room.  She  had  hardly  regained 
it  before  the  hall  door  opened  and  the  countess  came 
in.  Annette,  with  an  air  of  wounded  dignity,  pro- 
claimed all  that  had  recently  taken  place.  As  the 
light  flashed  on  the  face  of  the  countess,  Peretori 
could  see  that  she  was  visibly  disturbed. 

"  Go  to  bed,  Annette,"  she  exclaimed.  "  I  will 
see  this  gentleman  who  comes  at  so  strange  a 
time." 

The  countess  passed  into  the  dining-room,  and 
as  she  did  so  Peretori  saw  the  handle  of  the  front 
door  turn  very  quietly,  and  Lechmere  crept  into 
the  house.  He  stood  motionless  just  for  a  moment, 

Q 


242        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

then  Peretori  stepped  out  of  the  little  room  where 
he  was  listening  and  beckoned  to  him. 

"  Come  in  here,"  he  whispered.  "  I  sent  for  you 
because  I  have  an  idea  that  I  shall  require  your 
assistance  a  little  later  on.  Hunt  is  in  the  dining 
room.  Ah,  the  quarrel  has  begun !  " 

"  I  tell  you  I  have  been  fooled,"  Hunt  was  saying 
passionately.  "Fooled  like  a  child.  You  promised 
me  that  you  would  manage  that  the  Mercury  should 
contain  an  interview  with  the  King  of  Asturia." 

"  Well  ?  Did  I  fail  in  my  promise  ?  Did  I  not 
send  the  king  to  you  in  a  condition  when  he  was 
prepared  to  say  or  do  anything  ?  Won't  it  be  all 
there  to-morrow  morning  ?  " 

"It  is  all  there  now,"  Hunt  said  with  a  groan. 
"  Already  the  country  editions  of  the  paper  are  on 
the  train.  A  large  proportion  of  the  town  impres- 
sions have  gone  out  also.  And  you  have  fooled 
me  purposely." 

"  What  is  the  man  talking  about  ?  "  the  countess 
cried  impatiently.  "  Anyone  would  think  that  I 
had  some  object " 

"  In  making  a  fool  of  me.  So  you  have,  if  I  could 
only  understand  the  reason.  As  a  matter  of  fact, 
I  have  been  hoaxed  in  the  most  shameless  manner 
possible.  The  man  who  came  to  me  was  an  impos- 
tor, a  fraud,  an  actor,  and  you  knew  it.  When 
the  whole  story  comes  to  be  told  my  paper  will  be 
ruined,  and  I  shall  be  laughed  out  of  London.  The 
real  King  of  Asturia " 

"  The  man  is  mad ! "  the  countess  cried.  "  The 
real  King  of  Asturia  was  with  you  to-night." 

"  It  is  utterly  false,  and  you  know  it.  You  are 
playing  this  thing  off  on  me  for  your  own  ends.  I 
have  just  had  it  from  the  same  source  that  the  real 


CROSS   PURPOSES  243 

King  of  Asturia,  accompanied  by  Captain  Alexis 
and  another  gentleman,  have  left  for  Dover  by  a 
special  train  an  hour  ago  en  route  for  Asturia.  The 
information  came  to  me  from  a  lady  journalist 
who  actually  saw  the  departure  from  Charing  Cross. 
The  lady  in  question  makes  no  mistakes.  I  have 
never  known  her  to  be  wrong.  What  have  you 
to  say  to  this  ?  " 

For  once  in  her  life  Countess  Saens  was  absolutely 
nonplussed.  In  the  face  of  this  information  it 
was  utterly  impossible  to  keep  up  the  present  fraud 
any  longer. 

"  So  you  have  got  the  best  of  me  ?  **  she  laughed. 
"  It  was  a  daring  thing  to  do,  but  I  thought  that  it 
would  pass  muster.  It  cost  me  a  thousand  guineas 
into  the  bargain.  Mind  you,  I  had  not  the  slightest 
idea  that  the  king  would  take  such  strong  measures 
as  these,  and  I  am  obliged  by  your  priceless  informa- 
tion. Now,  what  can  I  do  to  put  matters  right  ?  " 

Hunt  made  the  best  of  a  bad  bargain.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  he  was  not  quite  blameless  in  the 
matter. 

"  Those  papers,"  he  said.  "  Get  me  those  papers. 
I  dare  say  I  can  bluff  the  matter  through.  We  can 
suggest  that  somebody  is  personating  the  real  king. 
But  I  must  have  those  papers." 

"  Ay,  if  we  could  only  get  them  !  "  the  countess 
said  between  her  teeth.  "  We  have  clever  people 
to  deal  with,  and  you  may  thank  the  way  I  have 
been  fooled  to-night  for  the  suggestion  of  the  way 
in  which  I  have  done  my  best  to  damage  the  cause 
of  Asturia.  But  I  am  on  the  track  now,  and  I  am 
going  to  get  to  the  bottom  of  it.  The  first  thing 
to-morrow  morning  I  shall  go  to  Charing  Cross 
Hospital." 


244        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  What  for  ?  "  Hunt  growled.  "  You  are  talking 
in  enigmas  so  far  as  I  am  concerned." 

"  Never  mind.  The  enigma  will  explain  itself 
in  good  time.  I  tell  you  that  you  shall  have  those 
papers.  I'm  sorry  for  the  trick  I  played  on  you 
to-night,  but  there  is  a  great  stake  in  my  hands. 
It  never  occurred  to  me  that  the  enemy  would  play 
so  bold  a  game." 

"  You  hear  that  ?  "  Lechmere  said  to  his  com- 
panion. "Now  whatever  scheme  you  have  in  your 
mind,  my  dear  prince,  it  must  be  abandoned  to 
the  certainty  that  the  Countess  Saens  does  not  go 
to  the  hospital  at  Charing  Cross  to-morrow.  You 
have  a  pretty  good  idea  of  how  things  stand,  and 
I  look  to  you  to  prevent  that.  Can  you  possibly 
manage  it  ?  " 

Peretori  whispered  something  reassuring.  If 
Lechmere  would  stay  here  for  a  time  and  watch 
over  the  progress  of  events,  he  might  be  able  to 
manage  it.  Lechmere  expressed  himself  as  ready 
to  do  anything  that  was  required. 

"  Very  well,"  Peretori  replied.  "  I  am  going  to 
slip  away  for  a  time.  I  shall  be  back  in  ten  minutes 
at  the  outside.  But  don't  leave  the  house,  because 
we  have  business  here  later  on.  There  will  be  a 
real  danger  and  peril  before  us  presently." 

Lechmere  nodded  in  his  turn  as  Peretori  stole 
softly  away.  The  murmur  of  voices  from  the 
dining-room  was  still  going  on.  The  conversation 
had  grown  desultory. 

"  I  repeat,  I  am  sorry  for  the  trick  I  had  to  play 
you  to-night,"  the  countess  was  saying.  "  But 
you  have  only  to  stick  to  your  guns  and  stand  out 
for  the  genuineness  of  your  interview.  Under  ordi- 
nary circumstances  it  would  have  passed  muster. 


CROSS   PURPOSES  245 

But  what  possessed  the  king  to  take  that  decided 
step  ?  I  understood  that  his  nerve  was  gone.  I 
had  it  from  a  sure  source  that  he  never  dared  set 
foot  in  Asturia  again.  And  to  have  gone  off  in 
that  determined  manner!  What  does  it  mean  ?  " 

Lechmere  could  have  answered  that  question, 
as  he  smilingly  told  himself.  He  could  tell  from 
the  sound  of  the  voices  that  Hunt  was  getting 
nearer  and  nearer  to  the  door.  Presently  the  pair 
emerged  into  the  hall.  It  was  fully  a  quarter  of 
an  hour  now  since  Peretori  had  departed,  and 
Lechmere  was  getting  anxious.  At  the  same  mo- 
ment there  was  a  knock  at  the  door  so  sharp  and 
sudden  that  the  countess  started,  as  did  her  com- 
panion. The  former  opened  the  door. 

Just  for  a  moment  Lechmere  craned  his  neck 
to  see.  But  all  he  noted  was  a  district  messenger 
boy,  who  handed  an  envelope  to  the  countess  and 
preferred  his  pencil  for  a  receipt.  The  door  closed, 
and  the  countess  tore  open  the  envelope  eagerly. 

"  A  thick  envelope,"  she  said.  "  Merely  my 
name  printed  on  it  in  large  letters.  What  have 
we  here  ?  A  visiting  card  with  the  name  of  the 
Duchess  of  Dinon  on  it.  That  is  the  nom  de  plume 
adopted  by  the  Queen  of  Asturia  when  travelling. 
Ah,  here  is  the  gist  of  it !  Listen  : 

"  '  Meet  me  to-morrow  night  Hotel  Bristol,  Paris, 
at  9  o'clock.  Ask  for  Mr.  Con  way.  Am  watched. 
Am  anxious  to  escape.  Do  not  fail  me.  Erno.' " 

The  countess  waved  the  little  slip  of  parchment 
in  triumph  over  her  head.  "  From  the  king ! " 
she  said.  "  From  the  king  to  me.  He  desires  to 
escape,  and  that  plays  my  game.  Give  me  the 
time-table  that  is  on  the  hall  table  behind  you." 


CHAPTER   XXXVIII 

ON   BROKEN  GROUND 

JESSIE  opened  her  eyes  and  looked  languidly 
around.  She  could  not  grasp  the  situation  at 
first.  She  was  in  a  large  room  exquisitely  furnished  ; 
the  silken  draperies  rustled  in  the  breeze  from  the 
open  window.  Whence  came  all  this  luxury,  the 
girl  wondered  ?  As  she  lay  there  with  her  hair 
sweeping  over  the  laced  pillow,  the  events  of  the 
previous  evening  began  to  come  back  to  her.  Fresh 
and  vigorous  now  after  her  night's  rest,  Jessie 
could  smile  as  she  thought  of  it.  It  seemed  almost 
impossible  to  believe  that  she  had  gone  through  so 
much,  that  any  girl  had  the  pluck  to  go  through 
such  a  series  of  adventures  without  breaking  down. 

And  yet  she  had  done  it !  And  Jessie  thrilled  with 
a  little  pardonable  pride  as  she  dwelt  upon  the 
part  she  had  played.  At  any  rate,  it  had  been 
better  than  slaving  in  the  shop  of  Madame  Mal- 
maison,  without  the  slightest  prospect  for  the  future. 
Jessie  felt  that  now  she  had  gained  powerful  friends 
there  was  no  chance  of  further  genteel  starvation. 
Prince  MazarofFs  disgraceful  conduct  had  been  a 
blessing  in  disguise. 

And  best  of  all,  it  had  brought  Ronald  Hope 
back  to  her.  Jessie  flushed  with  happiness  as 
she  thought  of  Ronald.  She  was  thinking,  too,  of  her 
sister.  What  would  Ada  imagine  had  happened  ? 
She  must  find  time  to  send  Ada  a  message.  If 
Vera  Galloway  was  in  a  position  to  be  moved  from 


ON   BROKEN   GROUND  247 

the  hospital,  then  she  might  resign  her  part  and  go 
home.  She  would  have  to  keep  out  of  the  way  for 
a  bit — out  of  the  way  of  those  who  were  likely  to 
draw  their  own  deductions  from  the  knowledge  that 
Vera  Galloway  had  a  double. 

Jessie  was  still  turning  these  things  over  in  her 
mind  when  the  door  opened  and  a  neat-looking  maid 
came  in  with  a  dainty  breakfast  set  out  on  a  tray. 
When  this  was  despatched  the  maid  volunteered  to 
help  her  to  dress,  from  such  things  as  had  come 
from  Vera  Galloway's  wardrobe.  But  Jessie  pre- 
ferred to  dress  herself.  She  managed  very  well  with 
a  plain  skirt  and  a  loose  fluffy  blouse  that  looked 
as  if  it  had  been  made  for  her.  The  queen  was 
already  up,  and  would  see  the  young  lady  at  once,  the 
maid  said.  Not  without  some  feeling  of  nervousness, 
Jessie  went  downstairs. 

She  bowed  profoundly  to  the  queen,  who  advanced 
and  kissed  the  girl. 

;c  You  are  my  friend,"  she  said,  "  my  very  good 
friend.  Would  that  I  had  others  like  you.  We 
will  talk  it  over  presently.  Meanwhile,  I  have  many 
letters  to  dictate.  How  fresh  and  sweet  you  look ! 
I  wonder  if  I  shall  ever  feel  what  it  is  to  be  young 
again !  Meanwhile,  you  are  to  wait  here.  There 
is  nothing  for  you  to  do  but  to  take  care  of  your- 
self." 

"  Indeed,  there  is  a  great  deal  for  me  to  do,  madame," 
Jessie  protested.  "  I  had  meant  to  be  up  and  doing 
long  before  this  ;  it  is  already  ten  o'clock.  I  have 
to  go  to  the  hospital  and  see  Miss  Galloway.  She 
must  be  removed  before  the  Countess  Saens 
takes  any  steps." 

"  I  had  forgotten  that,"  the  queen  admitted. 
'*  There  is  so  much  to  be  done  that  one  is  apt  to 


248        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

forget.    You  will  manage  that  through  Dr.  Varney 
of  course  ?  " 

Jessie   explained   that   such   was  her  intention. 
She   meant   to   go  and  see    Dr.   Varney  at  once 
After  that  she  would  go  to  the  hospital  if  necessary 
Only  it  would  be  just  as  well  if  she  wore  a  veil. 
Jessie    thought.     There    was   no    reason    why    the. 
attention  of  the  hospital  authorities  should  be  drawn 
to  the  likeness  between  the  patient  and  the  visitor. 
The  matter  of  the  veil  was  adjusted  without  the 
slightest  difficulty,  and  Jessie  left  the  hotel. 

Dr.  Varney  was  not  to  be  disturbed,  so  his  man 
said.  It  required  something  very  urgent  indeed  to 
interrupt  the  doctor  at  this  hour.  Jessie  ignored 
the  suggestion,  and,  pushing  by  the  astonished 
man,  walked  boldly  into  the  dining-room.  Varney 
was  not  in  the  least  angry. 

"  So  it  is  you  !  "  he  said.  "  I  rather  expected 
this.  How  bright  and  fresh  you  look  this  morning ! 
So  you  have  not  had  enough  of  adventures  yet  ? 
What  are  you  going  to  do  now  ?  Don't  mind  my 
smoking  a  cigarette,  do  you  ?  I  always  do  after 
breakfast.  That,  between  ourselves,  is  one  of  the 
reasons  why  I  don't  allow  myself  to  be  disturbed. 
What  is  the  next  move." 

"  To  get  Miss  Vera  Galloway  home — or  rather,  to 
get  her  out  of  the  hospital,"  Jessie  said.  "  If  we 
don't,  we  shall  have  Countess  Saens  finding  her 
there.  She  is  certain  to  call  at  the  hospital  some 
time  to-day — probably  this  morning.  If  we  can  be 
first,  well  and  good.  If  you  can  go  down  with  me 
on  pretence  of  business  and  profess  to  recognize 
Miss  Galloway  for  somebody  else  so  much  the  better. 
Then  you  can  say  that  she  is  fit  to  travel,  and  there 
is  an  end  of  it." 


ON   BROKEN   GROUND  249 

The  doctor  grinned  with  a  comic  expression  of 
dismay. 

"  Well,  you  are  a  nice  kind  of  young  lady ! "  he 
said.  "  A  pretty  proposition  truly  to  a  man  in 
my  exalted  position  !  Why,  if  the  truth  came  out  it 
would  ruin  me.  But  I  suppose  you  expect  to  get 
your  own  way.  Only  you  can't  take  Miss  Galloway 
home." 

"  I  don't  propose  to  take  her  home,"  Jessie  said 
eagerly.  "  Lord  and  Lady  Merehaven  think  that 
their  real  niece  is  staying  with  the  Queen  of  Asturia 
for  a  day  or  two  in  the  place  of  an  absent  woman- 
in-waiting.  To  take  Vera  home  would  be  to  spoil 
everything.  Besides,  we  should  have  to  account  in 
some  way  for  her  sprained  ankle,  and  it  is  quite 
imperative  that  nobody  should  know  of  that." 

"What  a  clever  girl  you  are!"  Varney  muttered 
admiringly.  "  I  begin  to  see  what  you  are  driving 
at.  Go  on." 

"  There  is  very  little  more  to  say,"  Jessie  mur- 
mured. "  I  shall  pose  as  a  relation  of  Vera's — calling 
myself  by  my  proper  name  of  Harcourt,  of  course. 
Dressed  in  her  plain  black — or  rather  in  my  plain 
black  and  veil — I  shall  convey  Vera  to  the  queen's 
hotel  and  there  change  clothes.  I  shall  just  walk 
out  of  the  hotel  and  vanish  for  the  time  being,  and 
there  you  are !  The  real  Vera  will  be  with  the 
queen.  She  can  nurse  her  ankle  for  a  day  or  two,  and 
nobody  will  be  any  the  wiser." 

Varney  loudly  applauded  the  suggestion.  It 
was  just  possible,  he  said,  that  he  was  going  to  get 
himself  into  serious  trouble,  but  he  was  not  going 
to  back  out  of  it  now.  If  Jessie  would  go  down 
to  the  hospital  and  see  Vera  Galloway,  he  would 
follow  after  a  discreet  interval. 


250        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

It  all  fell  out  exactly  as  Jessie  had  hoped.  There 
was  little  the  matter  with  Vera  save  for  the  fact 
that  her  ankle  was  very  troublesome,  though  one 
of  the  house  surgeons  dismissed  the  idea  of  the 
patient  being  moved  for  the  next  day  or  two.  When 
the  discussion  was  still  on  Varney  came  in.  H 
approached  the  matter  in  his  own  quick  and  brec;^ 
fashion. 

"  Well,  young  lady  ? "  he  cried.  "  I  thought  that  I 
recognized  you  last  night,  only  I  wasn't  sure.  Miss 
Harcourt's  father  was  an  old  friend  of  mine,  Cattley. 
Wants  to  go  home,  does  she  ?  Well,  I  don't 
see  any  reason  why  she  should  not.  Matter  of  a  cab, 
nothing  more.  Yes,  yes." 

And  Varney  moved  oft  as  if  he  had  already 
washed  his  hands  of  the  matter — a  mere  incident  in 
the  life  of  a  busy  man  like  himself.  Jessie  hurried 
on  Vera's  preparations  with  a  shaking  hand.  It 
was  just  possible  that  the  countess  might  turn  up 
at  any  moment.  But  the  operation  was  finished  at 
length,  and  the  cab  was  ready  at  the  door. 

"  Pull  your  veil  down  as  I  have  done  with  mine," 
Jessie  whispered.  "  You  never  know  who  may 
recognize  you.  And  now  lean  heavily  on  my  arm, 
and  walk  as  if  nothing  was  the  matter.  Ah  ! " 

And  Jessie  drew  a  sigh  of  relief  once  they  were 
safely  in  the  cab.  The  cab  was  dismissed  in  Bond 
Street  under  pretext  of  shopping,  and  another 
engaged.  It  was  just  as  well  to  take  all  precautions, 
Jessie  declared.  Vera  was  looking  very  faint  and 
worn,  but  she  expressed  her  warm  thanks  to 
Jessie. 

"  It  is  really  nothing,"  the  latter  proceeded  to 
explain  what  had  happened.  "  As  events  turn  out, 
everything  is  going  most  fortunately  for  you.  As  I 


ON    BROKEN   GROUND  251 

have  told  you,  by  sheer  good  luck  I  managed  to  escape 
from  Merehaven  House  without  suspicions  being 
excited.  Lady  Merehaven  thinks  that  you  are  with 
the  queen  and  in  a  very  short  time  you  will  be 
with  the  queen.  Then  you  have  only  to  nurse  your 
ankle  and  get  well.  As  to  me,  I  am  going  to  dis- 
creetly disappear  from  view  for  the  time." 

"  But  you  have  no  money,"  Vera  protested. 
"  You  told  me  last  night  that  you  were  desperately 
placed,  and  that  if  it  had  not  been  for  the  money  you 
would  not  have  come  to  me  at  all.  Of  course  that 
was  all  nonsense,  because  you  would  have  done  what 
you  did  for  me  or  any  other  poor  girl  in  distress. 
Perhaps  some  day  I  may  be  able  to  properly  thank 
you,  dear  Jessie.  But  without  money!  .  .  .  And 
I  have  none." 

"  I  am  not  going  to  leave  London,"  Jessie  whis- 
pered. "  I  shall  be  quite  safe  in  my  lodgings.  And 
it  is  very  little  money  I  want.  What  I  am  looking 
for  is  some  situation " 

"  Situation  !  "  Vera  cried  scornfully.  "  As  if  I 
should  ever  permit  you  to  take  a  situation  again ! 
And  what  is  Ronald  Hope  thinking  about  ?  If  he 
really  cared  for  you " 

"  He  really  does  care  for  me,"  Jessie  said  with  a 
fine  colour.  "  And  if  there  is  any  need  for  you  to 
thank  me  for  bringing  Ronald  and  myself  together. 
.  .  .  But  here  we  are  at  the  hotel." 


CHAPTER   XXXIX 

IN  THE   CAMP  OF  THE   FOE 

AS  it  so  happened — though  as  yet  the  girls  were 
ignorant  of  the  fact — they  had  no  need  to  be 
afraid  of  the  Countess  Saens  for  the  present.  She 
had  been  cleverly  fooled  by  a  trick,  as  Lechmere  learnt 
directly  he  was  out  of  the  house  after  hearing  the 
countess  read  her  wire  to  Hunt  of  the  Mercury. 
Just  for  a  moment  Hunt  had  suspected  the  King  of 
Asturia  of  a  further  act  of  treachery.  But  no  sooner 
was  he  out  of  the  house  than  Prince  Peretori  pounced 
upon  him.  There  was  a  keen  glitter  in  his  eyes. 

"  Well  ?  "  he  asked.  "  I  left  you  in  that  place 
yonder  with  a  purpose.  Did  my  bait  take  ?  " 

"  Oh,  it  was  you  who  sent  that  card,  then  ?  " 
Lechmere  exclaimed.  "  How  did  you  manage  to 
do  that  ?  " 

"  The  idea  came  to  me  like  an  inspiration.  We 
wanted  the  countess  out  of  the  way,  and  it  seemed 
to  me  that  I  knew  the  exact  plan  for  doing  it. 
I  rushed  off  to  the  queen's  hotel  and  procured  one 
of  her  incognito  cards  to  give  the  thing  a  real  air. 
Then  I  forged  a  message  from  the  king  asking  the 
countess  to  meet  him  in  Paris  to-morrow  night. 
All  I  had  to  do  was  to  place  the  thing  in  the  hands  of 
a  district  messenger  boy,  and  there  you  are !  The 
question  is,  Did  my  bait  take  ?  " 

"  As  the  countess  is  at  present  rushing  through  the 
pages  of  Bradshaw,  I  should  say  that  the  bait  had 
taken,"  Lechmere  said  drily.  "  Our  fascinating 
friend  will  assuredly  be  off  to  Paris  by  the  very 

352 


IN   THE   CAMP   OF   THE   FOE  253 

first  train  that  is  available.  Isn't  there  an  early 
morning  boat  ?  Of  course  there  is,  seeing  that  I 
have  travelled  by  it  many  times.  The  countess 
will  be  off  in  an  hour.  We'll  just  hang  about  here 
and  make  sure,  and  then  we  can  go  to  bed  with  easy 
minds." 

Prince  Peretori  laughed  grimly.  He  lighted  a 
cigarette  and  smoked  it  with  the  air  of  a  patient  man. 

"  We're  not  going  to  bed  yet,"  he  said.  "  Our 
task  does  not  even  begin  till  the  countess  has  gone. 
I'll  throw  myself  heart  and  soul  into  this  business, 
and  I  don't  let  go  now  till  I  see  it  through.  When  the 
countess  has  gone,  you  and  I  are  going  to  do  a  little 
burglary  of  our  own." 

"  What  for  ?  "  asked  Lechmere.  "  What  are  we 
going  to  gain  by  a  risk  like  that  ?  "  Besides,  if  you  are 
after  these  Foreign  Office  papers  most  assuredly 
they  are  not  in  the  countess's  possession." 

"  No,  but  they  are  in  the  possession  of  her  maid 
Annette,"  was  the  startling  reply.  "  So  I  have  at 
length  succeeded  in  astonishing  even  the  stolid 
Lechmere.  My  dear  fellow,  when  I  went  into  that 
house  to-night,  I  found  that  Annette  was  entertain- 
ing a  lover — one  Robert,  who  is  unmistakably  a 
gentleman's  servant.  We  must  find  out  who  Robert 
is,  and  where  he  comes  from,  because  he  may  be  very 
useful  to  us  later  on.  But  Annette  has  those  papers, 
because  I  heard  her  say  so.  A  stupid  policeman 
picked  them  up  and  handed  them  to  Annette  with- 
out having  the  least  idea  of  their  value.  But  the 
girl  has,  and  she  proposes  to  dispose  of  them  for  a 
good  round  sum." 

"  Then  our  course  is  quite  easy,"  Lechmere  said  ; 
he  had  quite  recovered  from  his  surprise  again. 
"  The  countess  will  be  out  of  the  way  for  eight  and 


254        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

forty  hours  at  least.  That  gives  us  ample  time 
to  open  pour-parlers  with  the  girl  for  the  recovery 
of  the  papers." 

"  And  perhaps  frighten  her  and  arouse  her  sus- 
picions. How  can  you  and  I  approach  the  girl  ?  My 
own  good  friend,  it  seems  to  me  that  my  own  way 
is  the  best.  Let  us  get  into  the  house  and  search 
for  the  papers.  If  they  are  of  the  slightest  value,  the 
girl  has  not  hidden  them  in  her  box.  That  would  be 
too  dangerous  a  game,  and  she  is  clever.  What 
do  you  say  ?  " 

Lechmere  replied  that  generally  he  was  ready  for 
anything.  It  was  beginning  to  get  light  as  the  coun- 
tess, accompanied  by  Hunt,  left  the  house.  She 
was  dressed  in  black  with  a  dark  veil,  and  she  carried 
a  small  travelling  bag  in  her  hand.  It  was  quite 
evident  that  the  countess  had  given  scant  atten- 
tion to  her  wardrobe  on  this  occasion  as  Lechmere 
pointed  out  to  his  companion. 

"  Let's  get  into  the  house  without  delay,"  Pere- 
tori  said.  "  It's  any  odds  that  her  ladyship  has  not 
said  anything  to  her  servants  and  that  she  has  not 
aroused  the  household.  She  is  in  the  habit  of  dis- 
appearing from  time  to  time  thus  when  urgent 
business  calls." 

It  proved  exactly  as  Peretori  had  prophesied. 
None  of  the  servants  were  about,  on  the  table  in  the 
hall  was  an  open  note  for  Annette  saying  that  her 
mistress  had  gone  to  Paris  and  that  she  would  wire 
what  time  she  was  coming  home  again.  Lechmere 
looked  a  little  ironically  at  his  companion. 

"  So  far  so  good,"  he  said.  "  The  coast  is  quite 
clear.  What  do  you  propose  to  do  next  ?  You 
can  hardly  expect  me  to  creep  into  Annette's  bed- 
room like  a  vulgar  burglar  and  examine  the  girl's 


IN   THE   CAMP   OF   THE   FOE          255 

possessions.  That  is,  even  if  we  knew  where  to  look, 
which  we  don't." 

Peretori  shook  his  head.  That  was  not  pre- 
cisely his  way  of  doing  business,  he  explained.  He 
had  a  much  better  scheme  than  that.  He  proceeded 
to  the  hall  door  and  rung  the  bell  loudly.  Lech- 
mere  looked  at  him  in  blank  astonishment.  He 
knew  that  Peretori  was  really  a  man  of  infinite 
resources,  but  his  intense  love  of  a  practical  joke 
at  afl  times  over-ruled  all  dictates  of  prudence. 

"  Are  you  mad  ?  "  Lechmere  cried.  "  What  insane 
folly  possesses  you  ?  Why,  you  will  have  all  the 
servants  in  the  place  down  upon  you  at  once." 

"  There's  is  a  kind  of  proverb  of  yours  that  says 
*  let  'em  all  come.' "  Peretori  smiled.  "  I  beg  to 
remark,  my  dear  friend,  that  this  is  not  one  of  my 
escapades.  I'll  give  the  bell  another  ring  to  make 
sure.  Ah,  the  rats  are  beginning  to  stir  in  the  hole 
at  last !  " 

Unmistakable  sounds  of  motion  overhead  came  to 
the  ears  of  the  listeners  below.  A  frightened  butler 
in  a  long  coat  and  carrying  a  poker  in  his  hand  looked 
over  the  banisters  and  demanded  feebly  what  was 
wrong.  A  footman  or  two  hovered  in  sight,  and 
there  was  a  glimpse  of  petticoats  hastily  donned 
behind. 

"  Come  down  here  at  once,  all  of  you,"  Peretori 
commanded.  "  This  is  a  pretty  thing.  I  come 
here  to  bring  back  a  little  ornament  that  the  coun- 
tess lost  to-night,  and  I  ring  the  bell  and  nobody 
even  takes  the  trouble  to  reply.  Then  I  make  the 
discovery  that  everybody  is  in  bed,  I  also  make  the 
discovery  that  the  front  door  has  not  been  fastened 
up,  leaving  the  place  absolutely  to  the  first  burglar 
that  comes  along.  I  maybe  wrong  but  it  seemed  to 


256        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

me  that  somebody  crept  into  the  house  as  I  came 
up  the  steps.  It  is  important  that  the  house  should 
be  searched.  Put  the  lights  up  everywhere.  I  will  go 
to  the  top  of  the  house  and  guard  the  fanlight  leading 
to  the  roof.  Now  get  about  it  at  once." 

Nobody  demurred,  nobody  ventured  to  ask  ques- 
tions. There  was  an  air  of  command  about  the  speaker 
that  shewed  him  as  one  accustomed  to  be  obeyed. 
His  face  was  very  stern,  but  he  winked  at  Lechmere 
as  he  proceeded  to  make  his  way  up  the  stairs.  It 
was  a  fairly  long  search,  for  the  suggestion  of  a 
possible  burglar  in  the  house  had  given  the  shock  of 
alarm  that  such  a  suggestion  always  produces  in  the 
women  kind  and  they  were  loud  in  the  determination 
that  the  men  should  search  everywhere. 

"  And  we  can  lock  up  after  the  kind  gentlemen 
have  gone,"  Annette  proclaimed.  "  See,  here  is 
a  letter  from  my  mistress  addressed  to  me.  She  has 
gone  off  to  Paris  suddenly  by  the  early  boat.  It  is 
one  of  the  eccentric  expeditions  that  the  countess 
loves.  Has  anybody  searched  the  basement  ?  " 

Nobody  had  searched  the  basement  for  the  simple 
reason  that  nobody  cared  to  face  the  task. 

"  Begin  at  the  bottom  and  work  up,"  suggested 
Lechmere  with  cynical  amusement.  "  If  there  is 
a  man  here  he  can't  possibly  escape  you  if  that 
system  is  adopted,  as  my  friend  guards  the  exit  in 
the  roof." 

"  Which  is  immediately  above  my  bedroom," 
Annette  said  with  a  shudder.  "  Par  bleu,  we  might 
have  all  been  murdered  as  we  lay  asleep.  Let  the 
men  look  everywhere." 

It  was  presently  borne  in  upon  the  men  servants  that 
nobody  was  in  the  house,  so  that  their  courage  rose. 
They  no  longer  hunted  in  couples.  They  were  near 


IN   THE   CAMP   OF   THE   FOE  257 

the  top  of  the  house  now,  they  were  quite  certain 
that  nobody  was  about  when  Peretori  descended. 

"  It  was  either  a  false  alarm  or  the  man  got  away 
by  the  skylight,"  he  said.  "  Did  I  understand  some- 
one to  say  that  the  countess  was  not  returning  to 
night.  In  that  case  you  had  better  see  that  the 
door  is  properly  fastened  after  this  gentleman  and 
myself  have  gone.  Good-night  to  you  all.  I  will 
say  nothing  of  this  to  the  countess  if  you  promise 
to  be  more  careful  in  the  future." 

The  big  door  closed  behind  Peretori  and  Lech- 
mere  and  was  properly  secured  this  time.  Lechmere 
turned  to  his  companion  and  demanded  to  know  what 
it  all  meant. 

"  Well,  I  think  that  is  pretty  plain,"  Peretori 
said.  "  Our  way  lies  together,  does  it  not  ?  And 
I  confess  that  I  am  most  terribly  sleepy.  Oh,  yes, 
as  to  my  scheme.  Well,  I  wanted  to  get  a  good  idea 
of  the  servants'  quarters,  and  where  Mademoiselle 
Annette  slept.  Mightily  snug  quarters  these 
maids  get  in  these  good  houses.  And  Annette  is  no 
exception  to  the  general  rule." 

"  Yes,  but  you  did  not  find  the  papers,  I  sup- 
pose ?  "  Lechmere  asked  with  some  impatience. 

Peretori  paused  to  light  a  fresh  cigarette.  His 
face  was  quite  grave  though  his  eyes  danced. 

"  Not  quite,"  he  said.  "  The  maid  was  a  bit 
too  quick  for  me.  But  the  papers  are  hidden 
behind  a  plaster  cast  of  the  Adoration  of  the  Magi 
high  up  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the  bedroom.  I 
have  said  it  I  " 


R 


CHAPTER   XL 

THIN   ICE 

WITH  all  her  loyalty  and  determination  in  the 
interests  of  her  new  friend,  Jessie  could  not 
repress  a  sigh  of  relief  once  Vera  Galloway  was 
safe  in  the  shelter  of  the  queen's  hotel.  After  all 
said  and  done,  the  events  of  the  previous  night  had 
been  exceedingly  trying,  and  Jessie  was  feeling  in 
need  of  a  rest.  Vera  Galloway  did  not  fail  to 
notice  this. 

"  It  is  impossible  for  me  to  properly  thank  you," 
she  said  in  a  voice  that  was  very  unsteady.  "  What 
I  should  have  done  without  you,  goodness  knows. 
By  this  time  the  man  I  love  would  have  been  ruined. 
Charlie  Maxwell  would  never  have  been  able  to  hold 
up  his  head  again.  Oh,  if  only  I  had  not  lost  the 
papers !  " 

"They  will  be  found,"  Jessie  said.  "I  feel 
quite  sure  that  they  will  be  found  and  you  will 
regain  possession  of  them.  At  any  rate  the  countess 
is  powerless  for  present  evil.  Everything  is 
against  her." 

The  queen  came  into  the  room  at  the  same 
moment.  She  was  kindness  itself  to  Vera,  though 
her  face  had  its  sternest  expression.  She  held 
in  her  hand  a  copy  of  the  Mercury.  She  had  been 
reading  the  sensational  interview  carefully.  Never 
had  there  been  a  more  daring  or  outrageous  plot. 
And  thanks  to  the  courage  and  promptitude  of 
Lechmere  it  had  failed. 

868 


THIN   ICE  259 

"  This  thing  is  infamous,  daring  to  a  degree,"  the 
queen  said.  "  But  fortunately  the  Herald  comes  to 
our  aid.  And  the  king  is  already  on  his  way  to 
Asturia.  It  is  only  the  matter  of  those  papers.  .  . 
Vera,  I  suppose  I  must  forgive  you  for  the  trick 
you  played  on  me." 

"  It  was  in  a  good  cause,"  Vera  smiled  faintly. 
"  You  see,  there  were  complicating  interests.  And 
yet  they  were  absolutely  identical.  I  wanted  to 
save  Charlie  and  you  at  the  same  time  and  but  for 
a  most  distressing  and  unforeseen  accident  I  should 
have  done  so.  But  what  a  perfect  substitute  I 
left  behind  me !  Could  any  other  girl  possibly 
have  behaved  like  Jessie  Harcourt  ? " 

The  queen  forgot  her  anger  and  distress  for  a 
moment.  A  little  time  later  and  Jessie  was  walking 
to  her  lodgings,  her  ears  tingling  with  pride  and 
pleasure.  She  was  never  going  to  want  a  friend 
again,  the  way  was  rosy  before  her  for  the  future. 
Ada's  pale  anxious  face  brightened  and  her  eyes 
filled  with  tears  as  Jessie  came  in.  It  had  been 
an  anxious  time  for  Ada. 

"  You  look  so  strong  and  happy  and  yet  so  tired," 
she  said.  "  Sit  down  in  the  armchair  and  tell  me 
everything.  There  is  something  about  you  that 
suggests  adventure.  But  you  have  not  failed." 

No,  Jessie  had  not  failed,  she  explained.  She 
told  Ada  everything  from  beginning  to  end;  she 
had  to  answer  a  thousand  eager  questions.  When 
she  rientioned  the  name  of  Ronald  Hope  Ada 
smiled  demurely.  That  was  the  best  news  of  it 
all. 

"  I  am  glad  you  and  Ronald  have  met  again," 
Ada  said  quietly.  "We  ought  never  to  have  left 
the  old  home  without  writing  to  him.  It  has  been  on 


260        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

my  mind  to  do  so  frequently,  but  I  thought  perhaps 
that  you  would  not  like  it,  Jessie.  Now  you  are 
going  to  sit  there  and  rest  whilst  I  run  out  and 
get  some  paints  for  those  Christmas  cards.  I 
have  been  so  miserably  anxious  about  you  that  I 
dared  not  go  out  before.  The  walk  will  freshen  me 
up." 

Jessie  nodded  lazily.  A  delicious  sense  of  fatigue 
stole  over  her.  Her  eyes  closed  and  she  fell 
into  a  half  sleep.  When  she  came  to  herself  again 
Ronald  was  bending  over  her.  Her  face  flushed 
as  he  stooped  down  and  pressed  his  lips  to  hers. 
Perhaps  she  had  been  more  guarded  had  she  not 
been  taken  by  surprise,  for  she  returned  the  pres- 
sure. 

"  That  was  not  fair,"  she  said  with  a  trembling 
smile.  "  You  caught  me  unawares,  Ronald." 

Ronald  coolly  took  a  seat  close  to  Jessie's  side. 
He  took  her  hand  in  his  and  it  was  not  withdrawn. 

"  It  isn't  as  if  you  didn't  love  me,"  he  said. 
"You  know  perfectly  well  that  we  always  cared 
for  one  another.  And  you  would  not  have  kissed 
me  if  you  had  not  loved  me,  Jess.  Why  you  dis- 
appeared in  that  strange  manner  I  never  could 
understand.  What  difference  did  the  fact  make 
that  your  poor  father  had  left  you  penniless  ? 
I  knew  that  he  was  a  poor  man  and  that  I  had 
nothing  to  expect  but  your  dear  self,  and  you  were 
quite  aware  of  it.  Then  when  I  go  to  India  you 
disappear  and  I  don't  hear  any  more  of  you  till 
rumours  reach  me  of  the  goddess  in  Bond  Street. 
Jess,  you  are  never  going  to  run  away  from  me 
again  ?  " 

"  It  does  not  seem  so,"  Jessie  said  demurely, 
"  especially  if  you  hold  my  hand  and  my  waist  as 


THIN    ICE  261 

tightly  as  you  are  holding  them  at  the  present 
time.     But  seriously,  Ronald " 

"  That's  the  way  to  talk,  seriously !  Seriously, 
my  darling  Jess,  don't  you  love  me  ?  " 

"  I  love  you  with  my  whole  heart  and  soul, 
Ronald,"  Jessie  whispered.  "  I  never  realised  how 
much  I  loved  you  till  we  came  to  be  parted  and  I 
thought  that  I  had  lost  you  for  ever.  This  time 
yesterday  I  was  one  of  the  most  miserable  girls 
in  England,  now  I  am  one  of  the  happiest." 

"  And  you  are  going  to  marry  me  right  away, 
dearest  ?  "  Hope  whispered.  "A  quiet  wedding." 

"Presently,"  Jessie  smiled.  "Not  so  fast,  if 
you  please.  I  have  my  new  friends  to  think  of. 
I  can't  forget  that  but  for  them  I  might  never 
have  seen  you  again,  Ronald.  Till  that  business 
is  finished  I  am  not  a  free  agent.  Even  at  the 
present  moment  I  am  in  danger  of  being  arrested 
on  a  charge  of  stealing  some  papers  from  the 
residence  of  Countess  Saens." 

"  But,  my  dear  girl,  you  never  so  much  as  saw 
those  confounded  papers." 

"  That  does  not  make  the  slightest  difference. 
The  papers  were  stolen  from  the  residence  of  Countess 
Saens  by  a  young  girl  answering  to  my  description 
and  dressed  exactly  as  I  am  dressed  at  the  present 
moment.  If  I  was  confronted  now  with  the 
Countess's  maid  Annette  she  would  identify  me 
as  the  thief." 

"  The  real  thief  being  Miss  Vera  Galloway  all  the 
time,  Jessie." 

"  Of  course  she  is.  But  could  I  say  so  ?  Could 
I  in  my  own  defence  go  into  the  witness  box  and 
tell  the  story  of  my  bold  impersonation  of  Vera 
Galloway  so  that  she  could  be  free  to  regain  those 


262        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

papers  ?  Why,  by  so  doing  we  admit  the  existence 
of  the  papers  that  we  deny  existence  to  at  all. 
If  any  scandal  arises  over  them,  I  shall  have  to 
bear  it  alone.  Vera  Galloway's  share  must  not 
even  be  suggested.  It  must  be  assumed  that  I 
traded  on  my  marvellous  rememblance  to  Vera  to 
obtain  certain  things  from  the  countess." 

"  But  this  is  monstrous,"  cried  Ronald.  "  If  it 
came  to  a  matter  of  imprisonment — 

"  I  should  go  through  with  it  if  it  did,"  Jessie 
declared  quietly.  "At  least  I  should  do  so  until  it 
was  safe  to  have  the  truth  out.  Countess  Saens 
is  a  bitter  foe  when " 

"  Who  can  do  you  no  harm,"  said  Ronald.  "  At 
present  she  is  on  her  way  to  Paris.  She  has  been 
lured  there  by  a  dexterous  trick  to  keep  her  out  of 
the  way." 

"  But  she  might  have  put  the  matter  in  the  hands 
of  the  police  before  she  left  ?  " 

"  Perhaps  so.  I  had  not  thought  of  that,  Jessie. 
It  behoves  you  to  be  careful.  If  any  attempt 
was  made  to  arrest  you,  but  I  dare  not  think  of  it. 
If  danger  threatens,  go  back  to  the  queen.  She 
can  help  you  if  anybody  can.  Hullo,  here  is  Ada." 

Ada's  reception  of  the  visitor  was  flattering 
enough.  She  was  delighted  to  see  Ronald  again, 
she  was  almost  tearfully  glad  to  find  that  Ronald 
and  Jessie  had  come  to  an  understanding.  But 
all  the  same  she  confessed  that  she  was  frightened. 
A  man  had  accosted  her  on  her  way  home  with 
an  enquiry  as  to  the  spot  where  Miss  Jessie  Harcourt 
lived.  He  had  a  parcel  in  his  hand  and  came  from 
the  shop  of  Madame  Malmaison.  It  appeared 
that  Jessie  had  left  some  of  her  possessions  behind 
and  the  messenger  was  anxious  to  deliver  it. 


THIN   ICE  263 

'*  And  I  don't  believe  that  he  was  a  messenger 
at  all,"  Ada  said  breathlessly.  "  He  was  far  too 
prim  and  dark.  He  gave  me  an  impression  of 
Scotland  Yard.  Of  course  I  pretended  to  know 
nothing,  but  I  was  frightened.  Go  and  see  what 
you  think,  Ronald.  He  is  in  Seymour  Street;  he 
has  a  box  under  his  arm." 

Ronald  departed  hastily.  He  came  back  a 
little  time  later  with  a  grim  face  and  an  uneasy  air. 

"  I  am  afraid  that  Ada  is  right,"  he  said.  "  The 
fellow  has  police  force  written  all  over  him.  I 
suppose  the  police  are  following  up  the  enquiries 
they  made  last  night.  You  must  go  back  to  the 
queen  without  delay,  Jess.  I  fancy  I  have  man- 
aged it.  I  see  that  there  is  a  way  out  of  these 
block  of  rooms  in  Dean  Street.  Go  down  there 
and  stand  in  the  doorway.  Presently  I  shall  pull 
up  with  a  cab  just  for  a  second  and  you  are  to  jump 
in.  Don't  lose  any  time.  If  you  are  arrested 
many  questions  will  be  asked,  if  you  can  tide  over 
the  next  day  you  may  escape  altogether.  I'll  see 
what  Lechmere  can  do." 

Hope  bustled  away  and  a  little  time  later  Jessie 
crept  down  the  stone  stairs  leading  to  Dean  Street. 
She  had  not  long  to  wait  there,  for  presently  a  cab 
drove  up  and  Ronald  looked  anxiously  out.  Like 
a  flash  Jessie  was  across  the  pavement  and  into  the 
cab. 

"  Saved  this  time,"  Ronald  muttered.  "  I  shall 
leave  you  in  Piccadilly  to  go  back  alone.  Glad 
to  see  that  you  took  the  precaution  to  veil  your 
features.  After  I  have  left  you  I'll  go  as  far  as 
Lechmere's  rooms.  I  daresay  we  can  beat  those 
people  yet." 


B 


CHAPTER   XLI 

ANNETTE  AT  BAY 

UT  meanwhile  Lechmere  had  not  been  idle. 
His  steadygoing  brain  had  not  failed  to 
see  the  danger  arise  after  the  matter  of  the  countess's 
burglary  had  come  into  the  hands  of  the  police. 
And  he  seemed  to  fancy  that  he  had  discovered  a 
way  out  of  the  difficulty.  After  a  message  to 
Scotland  Yard  making  an  appointment  an  hour 
later  at  the  house  of  Countess  Saens  he  had  pro- 
ceeded to  the  queen's  hotel.  He  was  a  little  dis- 
appointed to  find  that  already  Jessie  had  departed 
some  short  time. 

He  was  about  to  go  off  in  search  of  Jessie  when 
she  returned  with  her  story.  Lechmere  smiled 
with  the  air  of  a  man  who  holds  the  key  to  the 
situation. 

"  You  need  not  be  in  the  least  alarmed,"  he  said. 
"  Hope  was  quite  right  when  he  suggested  that  per- 
haps I  could  help  you  in  the  matter.  Not  only  am  I 
going  to  help,  but  I  am  going  to  put  you  a  long 
way  out  of  the  reach  of  the  police.  We  are  going 
as  far  as  Countess  Saens's  house." 

"  I  am  !  "  Jessie  exclaimed.  "  Why,  the  mere 
fact  of  my  being  there  face  to  face  with  the 
countess " 

"  My  dear  young  lady,  you  are  not  going  to  be 
face  to  face  with  the  countess.  She  has  gone 
abroad.  You  will  go  with  me  in  a  cab,  you  will 
keep  your  veil  down  and  you  will  wait  in  the  draw- 

264 


ANNETTE    AT   BAY  265 

ing-room  until  I  want  you.  I  daresay  all  this 
sounds  very  abrupt,  but  it  is  quite  necessary.  Now 
come  bustle  along  before  other  things  come  to 
complicate  matters." 

Jessie  followed  in  a  helpless  kind  of  way.  It 
seemed  to  her  that  she  was  off  on  another  series 
of  bewildering  adventures  before  the  last  series 
was  closed  almost.  But  she  had  her  previous 
experience  to  keep  her  courage  to  the  sticking 
point  and  Lechmere's  face  gave  her  confidence. 
"  When  am  I  going  to  get  out  of  this  coil  ?  "  she 
asked  with  a  smile. 

"  You  are  going  to  get  out  of  it  very  quietly," 
Lechmere  said  gravely.  "And  after  that  you  are 
going  to  marry  my  young  friend  Ronald  Hope,  whom 
I  regard  as  a  very  lucky  fellow.  When  the  tangle 
itself  is  likely  to  end,  Heaven  only  knows.  The 
best  thing  that  could  happen  to  the  Queen  of 
Asturia  would  be  the  death  of  the  king.  She  would 
know  what  peace  meant  then  and  the  removal  of 
the  king  by  natural  means  would  enable  Europe 
to  interfere  and  so  check  the  designs  of  Russia. 
But  here  we  are." 

The  cab  stopped  at  length  and  the  occupants 
alighted.  At  Lechmere's  bidding,  Jessie  raised 
her  veil. 

"  The  countess  is  not  at  home  ? "  Lechmere 
asked  the  footman.  "  How  annoying !  It  is  rather 
an  urgent  and  private  affair  that  Miss  Vera  Galloway 
desires  to  see  your  mistress  upon.  But  perhaps 
Annette  the  maid  will  be  able  to  answer  a  few 
questions  for  me.  Shew  us  into  the  drawing-room 
and  send  Annette  to  us  there." 

The  footman  bowed  and  shewed  no  signs  of 
astonishment.  He  was  too  used  to  strange  requests 


266        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

and  equally  strange  visitors  to  that  house.  He 
led  the  way  gravely  enough  upstairs  and  announced 
that  he  would  at  once  send  for  Annette  to  see  Miss 
Galloway. 

"  So  far,  so  good,"  Lechmere  muttered.  "  I 
shall  want  you  to  see  Annette  a  little  later  on, 
Miss  Harcourt,  but  for  the  present  I  shall  be  glad 
if  you  will  take  you  seat  in  the  little  inner  drawing- 
room.  It  is  just  as  well  perhaps  that  you  should 
overhear  all  that  is  said." 

Jessie  asked  no  questions,  but  she  could  not 
altogether  repress  a  natural  curiosity  to  know 
what  was  going  to  take  place  next.  From  where 
she  was  seated  she  had  a  perfect  view  of  all  that 
was  going  on  in  the  large  drawing-room  without 
being  seen  herself.  Annette  came  in  quite  self- 
possessed  and  just  a  little  demure  in  the  presence  of 
the  tall  grey-faced  stranger. 

"  I  was  told  that  Miss  Galloway  was  here,  M'sieu," 
she  said.  "  It  strikes  to  me,  M'sieu " 

"  As  a  matter  of  fact  Miss  Galloway  is  not  here 
at  all,"  said  Lechmere  coolly.  "  This  is  another 
young  lady  whom  you  will  see  all  in  good  time, 
but  not  quite  yet.  I  had  no  desire  to  arouse  the 
curiosity  of  your  fellow  servants.  The  footman, 
for  instance,  who  is  a  very  good-looking  fellow, 
may  be  a  lover  of  yours.  Ah,  so  there  has  been 
tender  passages  between  you  ?  " 

"  M'sieu  is  a  gentleman  and  cannot  be  contra- 
dicted," Annette  said  demurely.  "  If  you  say 
so " 

"  Oh,  well.  That  is  bad  hearing.  I  am  afraid 
you  are  a  sad  flirt.  What  a  dreadful  tragedy  might 
be  precipitated  here  if  this  thing  came  to  the  ears  of 
your  devoted  Robert." 


ANNETTE   AT   BAY  267 

Annette  changed  colour  and  the  smile  died  out 
of  her  eyes.  She  looked  quite  anxiously  at  the 
speaker. 

"  Listen  to  me,"  he  said  sternly.  "  I  am  disposed 
to  help  you  and  shield  you  if  you  help  me.  If  we 
make  a  kind  of  compact  together  I  will  say  nothing 
about  those  champagne  suppers  and  I  will  keep  my 
own  council  over  certain  important  papers  that 
may  later  on  be  sold  for  a  good  round  sum — a  sum 
so  big,  in  fact,  that  Robert  and  yourself  will  be  able 
to  take  a  boarding-house.  Where  was  it  that  you 
preferred  the  establishment  ?  Ah,  I  have  it — in 
Brook  Street." 

All  the  blood  left  the  listener's  cheeks,  the  auda- 
cious expression  faded  and  left  her  eyes  cloudy  and 
troubled. 

"  M'sieu  is  too  clever  for  me,"  she  whispered. 
"  What  do  you  want  me  to  do  ?" 

"  Very  little.  It  is  about  a  robbery  here.  Now 
it  is  positively  absurd  that  Miss  Galloway  could 
be  the  thief  as  you  suggested.  You  smile,  you 
fancy  that  perhaps  Miss  Galloway  has  a  double. 
Now  it  all  rests  on  you  to  say  whether  that  double 
is  the  proper  person  or  not.  If  she  was  produced 
by  the  police  and  you  said  it  was  not  the  lady  who 
surprised  you  last  night,  why,  there  would  be  an  end 
of  the  matter — for  you  and  Robert." 

A  look  of  quiet  cunning  intelligence  flashed 
across  Annette's  face. 

"  It  is  plain  what  you  mean,"  she  said.  "  I 
quite  understand.  I  am  brought  face  to  face  with 
the  young  lady  and  I  stare  at  her  again  and  again. 
I  study  her  with  a  puzzled  frown  on  my  face — like 
this — and  then  I  say  that  it  is  not  the  person.  I 
am  absolutely  certain  of  my  facts.  She  is  different, 


268        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

the  eyes  are  not  the  same  colour.  I  know  not  what 
the  eyes  and  hair  of  your  friend  the  young  lady 
are  like,  but  whether  they  are  like  the  missing  thief's 
are  different.  See,  M'sieu  ?  " 

"  I  see  perfectly  well,  Annette,"  Lechmere 
smiled.  "$You  see  that  man  loitering  on  the  other 
side  of  the  road  ?  Fetch  him  up  here  and  say 
that  Mr.  Lechmere  is  waiting.  He  is  a  leading 
official  at  Scotland  Yard,  and  I  am  to  meet  him 
here  by  appointment.  Oh,  by  the  way,  where  is 
your  Robert  to  be  found  ?  " 

"  Guards  Buildings,"  Annette  whispered.  "  He 
waits  on  the  second  floor  gentleman  there.  But 
you  will  not " 

"  No,  I  will  not,"  said  Lechmere,  passing  his 
hand  over  his  face  to  hide  a  smile,  for  he  had  made 
a  further  discovery.  "  Play  your  part  properly 
and  I  will  play  mine.  And  now  go  and  fetch 
Inspector  Taske  here  and  say  that  I  am  waiting  for 
him." 

Inspector  Taske  came  up  and  Lechmere  con- 
ducted him  into  the  small  drawing-room.  At  a 
sign  from  him  Jessie  raised  her  veil.  She  began  to 
understand  what  was  coming. 

"  This  is  Miss  Jessie  Harcourt,"  said  Lechmere, 
"  daughter  of  my  old  friend  Colonel  Harcourt.  It 
has  been  suggested  that  Miss  Harcourt  came  here 
last  night  and  stole  certain  papers.  She  only 
found  it  out  this  morning  when  she — er — came  out 
of  the  hospital.  All  this  absurd  bother  has  arisen 
because  Miss  Harcourt  is  exceedingly  like  Miss  Gallo- 
way whom  the  maid  Annette  here  stupidly 
picked  out  as  the  thief,  picked  her  out  at  Mere- 
haven  House,  mind  you,  when  she  was  in  full 
evening  dress  at  a  party !  Then  suspicions  were 


ANNETTE   AT   BAY  269 

directed  to  my  young  lady  friend  here,  forsooth 
because  of  the  likeness,  and  she  is  being  tracked  by 
your  fellows,  Taske.  There  is  a  strong  light  here, 
and  I  am  going  to  settle  the  matter  once  and  for  all. 
Now,  Annette,  look  very  carefully  at  this  lady  and 
say  if  you  have  ever  seen  her  before." 

Jessie  bore  the  scrutiny  more  or  less  firmly  and 
haughtily  because  she  herself  had  never  seen  Annette's 
face  before.  Everything  depended  upon  the  girl's 
reply.  Her  examination  was  long  and  careful,  as 
if  she  did  not  want  to  outrage  her  conscience  in  the 
smallest  degree.  Then  she  shook  her  head. 

"  The  likeness  is  great,"  she  said.  "  Positively 
there  are  three  young  ladies  almost  the  same.  And 
we  make  mistakes — and  did  not  you  police  bring 
a  man  all  the  way  here  from  Australia  the  other  day 
on  a  charge  of  murder  only  to  find  he  was  the 
wrong  person  ?  And  he  had  been  sworn  to,  ma 
foi.  Therefore  it  behoves  me  to  be  careful.  All 
the  same,  I  can  speak  with  confidence.  If  it  were 
dark  I  could  say  that  here  was  the  thief.  But  in 
the  daylight,  won.  Her  eyes  were  dark,  the  hair 
very  rich  brown.  And  here  the  eyes  are  grey  and 
the  hair  a  lovely  shade  of  gold.  This  is  not  the 
lady." 

The  Inspector  turned  slightly  on  his  heel  as  if  he 
had  heard  quite  sufficient. 

"  This  ends  the  matter,"  he  said.  "  I  am  sorry 
that  Miss  Harcourt  has  been  molested  and  I  will  see 
that  she  is  not  further  annoyed.  I  wish  you  good 
morning,  sir." 

The  Inspector  departed  and  at  a  sign  from  Lech- 
mere,  Jessie  followed.  Annette  bowed  demurely, 
but  the  smile  on  her  face  vanished  and  her  eyes  grew 
troubled  as  she  found  herself  alone.  Down  in  the 


270        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

street    the    newsboys  were    shouting    something. 
Lechmere  listened  eagerly  to  hear : — 

"  Alarming  railway  accident  near  Paris.  Break- 
down of  a  special  train.  Suspected  outrage  on  the 
part  of  the  French  Anarchists.  Serious  accident 
to  the  King  of  Asturia.  Special." 


CHAPTER   XLII 

THE  COUNTESS   RETURNS 

LECHMERE  bought  a  paper  and  read  the  para 
graph  for  himself.  It  seemed  strange  that 
this  thing  should  happen  at  a  time  when  everybody 
was  talking  of  Asturia  and  its  rulers.  First  there 
was  the  sensational  interview  in  the  Mercury  to  set 
all  tongues  talking  and  then,  almost  before  the 
public  had  grasped  what  had  happened,  the  Herald 
came  out  with  a  flat  contradiction  and  a  dignified 
statement  to  the  effect  that  the  Mercury  had  been 
hoaxed  by  an  impudent  practical  joker. 

Here  was  an  excellent  chance  for  the  evening 
papers  and  they  did  their  best  to  make  a  good  thing 
of  it.  But  the  more  things  came  to  be  investigated 
the  firmer  became  the  position  of  the  Herald. 
Beyond  all  doubt  the  real  king  had  been  safe  at 
Merehaven  House  at  the  very  time  when  his  deputy 
was  closeted  with  the  editor  of  the  Mercury. 

And  now  this  had  come  on  the  top  of  it  all.  There 
was  no  reason  to  doubt  that  the  veritable  ruler  of 
Asturia  had  met  with  an  accident,  seeing  that  the 
Herald  had  proclaimed  the  fact  that  he  was  already 
on  his  way  to  his  kingdom.  Lechmere  shook  his 
head  as  he  read. 

"  Is  this  foul  play  or  another  link  in  the  amazing 
chain  ?  "  Jessie  asked. 

"  I  should  say  foul  play,"  Lechmere  replied. 
"  We  have  a  most  dangerous  foe  to  contend  with. 
And  at  any  hazards  the  king  must  be  kept  from 


272        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

reaching  his  capital  just  now.  I  should  not 
wonder  if  the  special  train  had  been  deliberately 
wrecked " 

"  It  makes  one's  heart  bleed  for  the  queen," 
Jessie  murmured.  "  If  she  comes  successfully  out 
of  this." 

"  She  won't,"  said  Lechmere  curtly.  "  She  is  only 
Asturian  by  marriage,  and  the  people  had  never 
really  cared  for  her,  devoted  as  she  is  to  their  inter- 
ests. They  want  to  get  rid  of  the  king.  If  he 
abdicates,  then  Russia  comes  in.  If  he  were  killed 
at  this  moment,  Russia  would  still  come  in.  But 
given  a  few  days  longer  and  Prince  Alix  will  be  in 
Asturia.  This  is  the  man  the  populace  want.  If 
they  can  once  proclaim  him,  Russia  is  checkmated. 
You  see  how  things  stand  ?  " 

"  It  would  break  the  heart  of  the  queen,"  Jessi 
said. 

"  I  think  not.  She  would  worry  for  a  time,  but 
her  position  is  intolerable.  The  present  king's  life 
hangs  on  a  thread,  the  next  plunge  into  dissipation 
may  kill  him.  And  then  Asturia  would  know  the 
queen  no  longer.  She  would  marry  Maxgregor,  who 
worships  the  ground  she  walks  on,  and  for  the  first 
time  in  her  life  would  taste  real  happiness.  And 
now  I  shall  leave  you.  It  is  necessary  that  I  sh  uld 
see  Prince  Peretori  at  once." 

And  Lechmere  hastened  away  in  pursuit  of  the 
Prince.  They  missed  one  another  by  a  few  minutes 
but  they  met  at  length.  Needless  to  say,  Peret  :>ri 
had  heard  the  news. 

"  You  can  see  exactly  what  has  happened,"  the 
latter  said.  "  Countess  Saens  has  gone  off  in  a 
great  hurry  to  see  if  she  could  prevent  the  king 
from  reaching  Asturia.  If  he  reaches  his  capital 


THE  COUNTESS  RETURNS      273 

what  will  happen  will  be  this — he  will  be  invited 
at  once  to  attend  a  conference  and  place  himself 
freely  and  unreservedly  in  the  hands  of  his  ministers. 
They  will  ask  him  to  proclaim  his  abdication  in 
favour  of  Prince  Alix." 

"  I  see,"  Lechmere  said  thoughtfully.  "  That 
knocks  Russia  out.  But  if  the  king  does  not  get 
there  at  all  ?  " 

Peretori  chuckled  as  if  something  amused  him. 

"  The  king  is  going  to  get  there,"  he  said.      "  He 
will  be  rather  damaged  by  his  accident,  but  he  will 
get  there  all  the  same.     I'll  see  to  that." 
,    "If  you  have  some  scheme  in  your  mind,  I  should 
like  to  know  what  it  is,"  Lechmere  said. 

"  Not  at  present,  my  dear  fellow.  I  did  a  very 
foolish  thing  last  night  and  I  am  anxious  to  try  and 
wipe  it  out.  I  calculate  that  I  can  arrive  on  the 
scene  of  the  accident  by  dark  to-night,  by  using  a 
despatch  boat  which  Lord  Merehaven  has  placed  at 
my  disposal.  I  am  going  alone  and  I  am  going  to 
disguise  myself.  I  may  send  you  a  telegram  this 
evening,  if  I  do,  hold  yourself  in  readiness  to  follow 
me.  So  far  as  my  cousin  and  his  consort  are  con- 
cerned, Asturia  is  dead.  But  it  is  not  going  to  fall 
into  the  lap  of  Russia  all  the  same." 

Nothing  that  Lechmere  could  say  served  to  break 
Peretori's  obstinate  silence.  He  had  a  plan  of  his 
own  and  he  was  going  to  carry  it  out  if  necessary. 

"  Go  and  see  the  queen,"  he  urged,  *'  go  and  see 
Maxgregor.  Unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken  in  the 
character  of  the  queen,  she  is  pretty  certain  to  follow 
Erno.  If  she  does  she  is  equally  certain  to  make  a 
mess  of  it.  She  must  not  go,  and  Maxgregor  must 
prevent  it.  Put  Maxgregor  in  a  cab  if  it  is  possible  to 
move  him,  and  see  that  he  keeps  the  queen  here. 

s 


274        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

Tell  Maxgregor  that  I  am  going  to  put  the  third 
scheme  into  operation." 

"  You  have  seen  Maxgregor  to-day  ?  "  Lechmere 
asked  in  some  surprise. 

"  Yes,  I  saw  him  early  to-day  and  talked  matters 
over.  He  abused  me  in  the  most  shameful  manner, 
but  I  had  to  put  up  with  it.  Good  bye." 

Peretori  jumped  into  a  passing  hansom  and  was 
whirled  away,  leaving  Lechmere  to  his  own  thoughts. 
But  Peretori's  advice  was  singularly  sound  from 
that  usually  feather-headed  individual,  and  Lechmere 
decided  to  go  as  far  as  Maxgregor's  at  once.  Max- 
gregor was  sitting  up  in  bed  impatiently  fuming  over 
an  evening  paper  which  lay  propped  up  before  him. 

"  This  is  a  nice  mess,"  he  exclaimed.  "  Of  course 
that  special  train  was  wrecked  deliberately.  Not 
that  it  very  much  matters,  seeing  that  Peretori — but 
perhaps  you  have  not  seen  him  ?  You  have  ?  Good  ! 
Did  he  send  any  kind  of  message  to  me  ?  " 

"  Yes,"  Lechmere  replied.  "  He  said  that  he  was 
going  to  put  the  third  programme  into  execution." 

Maxgregor  chuckled  and  his  dark  angry  face  re- 
laxed. He  managed  to  crawl  out  of  bed,  but  he  was 
still  very  weak  and  staggering.  He  dressed  with 
Lechmere's  assistance. 

"  Call  a  cab  and  take  me  as  far  as  the  queen's 
hotel,"  he  said.  "  I  must  see  her  majesty  alone.  It 
is  important  that  she  keeps  quiet  at  this  junction. 
She  must  be  persuaded  to  drive  about  and  show 
herself  just  as  if  nothing  had  happened." 

But  there  was  nothing  quiet  about  the  queen  as 
the  two  arrived  at  the  hotel.  She  was  pacing  up  and 
down  the  morning  room,  despite  Vera  Galloway's 
efforts  to  soothe  her.  The  girl  lay  on  a  couch,  for 
her  ankle  was  still  giving  her  a  deal  of  pain. 


THE  COUNTESS  RETURNS      275 

**  So  you  have  managed  to  come  to  me,  brave 
heart,"  the  queen  cried,  as  she  held  out  both  hands 
to  Maxgregor.  "  What  should  I  do  without  your 
devoted  courage  ?  Are  you  well  enough  to  accom- 
pany me  across  the  Channel.  I  am  going  at  once." 

"  You  are  going  to  do  nothing  of  the  kind,  madame," 
Maxgregor  said  sternly.  "  The  thing  is  already  in 
the  most  capable  hands.  May  I  beg  a  few  words 
in  private  with  you  ?  " 

The  queen  led  the  way  into  an  inner  room.  Vera 
turned  eagerly  to  Lechmere.  Her  face  was  pale  and 
her  eyes  were  heavy  with  the  tears  that  she  was  too 
proud  to  let  fall. 

"  Is  there  anything  fresh  to  tell  me  ?  "  she  de- 
manded eagerly.  "  I  did  not  care  to  mention  my 
private  grief  before  the  queen,  who  has  been  so  good 
to  me.  But  Charles  Maxwell  was  in  that  train  also. 
If  there  has  been  a  bad  accident,  if  it  is  to  be  called 
an  accident " 

"  It  was  no  accident,"  Lechmere  said  grimly. 
"  The  thing  was  done  deliberately.  And  we  dare 
not  make  too  many  enquiries  because  it  may  arouse 
suspicion.  Try  and  fix  your  mind  on  something 
else.  It  is  just  as  imperative  now  as  it  was  yester- 
day to  regain  possession  of  those  papers  you  risked 
so  much  to  get." 

"  If  we  could  only  find  them,"  Vera  sighed.  "  If 
we  only  knew  into  whose  hands  the  had  fallen ! " 

"  Well,  as  a  matter  of  fact  we  do  know  that," 
Lechmere  said  coolly.  "  Also  we  know  exactly 
where  they  are.  And  I  am  going  to  try  and  obtain 
possession  of  them  this  very  day.  The  mere  fact 
of  those  papers  coming  back  into  our  hands  would 
go  far  to  free  Maxwell  from  suspicion.  You  follow 
me?" 


276        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

It  was  quite  plain  that  Vera  followed.  As  much 
of  recent  events  as  he  dared  Lechmere  told  her. 
He  would  be  back  in  a  little  time,  he  said,  but  mean- 
while he  was  going  as  far  as  the  house  of  Countess 
Saens  with  the  object  of  having  another  talk 
with  Annette. 

Lechmere's  mind  was  perfectly  well  occupied  as  he 
walked  along.  He  had  nearly  reached  his  destination 
when  a  cab  pulled  up  before  the  residence  of  the 
Countess  of  Saens.  A  tall  graceful  figure  carefully 
cloaked  and  veiled  stepped  out  and  darted  for  the 
house  without  paying  the  cabman.  Evidently  the 
graceful  figure  had  taken  alarm  at  somebody  in  the 
road. 

"  By  Jove,  it's  me,"  Lechmere  muttered.  "  And 
that  was  the  countess,  for  a  million.  Now  what 
brings  her  back  in  a  break-neck  hurry  like  this  ?  " 


CHAPTER   XLIII 

IN   SEARCH   OF  THE   KING 

LECHMERE  had  plenty  of  time  before  him  to  think 
out  the  problem.  It  would  be  utterly  useless 
for  him  to  try  and  see  Annette  at  any  rate  for  some 
time  to  come.  There  was  consolation  in  the  fact,  too, 
that  Annette  would  have  no  opportunity  at  present 
for  dealing  with  the  papers.  Returned  to  the  hotel, 
Lechmere  found  that  Maxgregor  had  succeeded  in 
getting  his  own  way  with  the  queen,  who  had  evi- 
dently abandoned  the  idea  of  going  to  Paris.  She 
even  seemed  quite  cheerful  and  resigned. 

It  was  quite  late  in  the  evening  before  Lechmere 
received  his  messsage  from  Peretori.  It  must  have 
been  an  expensive  one,  for  it  was  long  : — 

"  Come  over  by  the  night  boat,"  it  ran,  "  acci- 
dent took  place  half  way  between  Valais  and  Paris, 
near  a  station  called  Amiens.  Drive  there  from  the 
junction  at  Poiteux  and  do  not  let  yourself  be  seen, 
as  Mazaroff  is  here.  Ask  for  Pierre  Loti's  hut  and 
there  await  developments.  Above  all  things  take 
care  not  to  be  seen.  And  I  am  on  my  way  East- 
ward." 

The  thing  was  vague  and  in  a  way  unsatisfactory. 
There  was  no  news  of  the  king  in  it,  which  was  bad, 
as  if  some  tragedy  had  happened  that  the  sender  of 
the  telegram  was  afraid  to  put  into  evidence.  And 
the  mention  of  Mazaroff  made  matters  distinctly 
worse.  That  rascal  was  evidently  acting  as  deputy 
to  the  countess,  who  had  been  recalled  to  England 


278        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

by  some  urgent  business.  But  perhaps,  after  all,  she 
had  not  crossed  the  Channel,  perhaps  she  was  satis- 
fied to  find  that  the  scheme  to  wreck  the  special  train 
was  certain  to  prove  successful.  At  any  rate  she 
was  back  in  England  and  would  have  to  be  watched. 
The  only  man  who  could  do  that  was  Ronald  Hope. 
Lechmere  found  him  at  length  at  Jessie's  lodgings 
talking  over  matters  with  her  and  Ada. 

"  I  will  do  anything  you  like,"  Hope  said  cheer- 
fully. "  My  mind  is  quite  at  rest  now  that  Jessie  is 
free.  My  dear  fellow,  you  managed  that  matter 
very  cleverly  indeed." 

"  Only  a  little  diplomacy,"  Lechmere  smiled. 
"After  all  said  and  done,  Annette  told  no  lie. 
Most  emphatically  she  never  saw  Miss  Harcourt  in 
the  countess's  house  that  night.  Keep  an  eye  on 
that  clever  lady  for  me  and  carefully  report  all  her 
doings.  As  for  me,  I  am  crossing  the  Channel  to- 
night and  I  may  be  away  for  a  day  or  two.  And 
don't  forget  one  thing — the  papers  we  are  looking  for 
are  still  in  Countess  Saens's  house." 

With  this  significant  message,  Lechmere  departed. 
The  Channel  passage  was  right  enough,  but  the 
trouble  to  get  to  Poiteux  was  immense.  The  local 
trains  were  few  and  the  breakdown  of  the  line  seemed 
to  have  disturbed  everything.  It  was  nearly  dark 
the  next  night  before  Lechmere  reached  the  next 
village.  There  was  an  hotel  of  sorts  there,  and  at 
first  Lechmere  considered  the  advisability  of  seeking 
rooms  there.  But  the  idea  of  coming  face  to  face 
with  Mazaroff  was  not  to  be  thought  of.  A  rail- 
way porter  offered  his  assistance,  and  Lechmere 
gladly  availed  himself  of  his  help.  The  accident, 
so  he  gathered,  had  been  caused  by  a  defective  rail 
on  the  track,  a  sufficiently  strange  thing,  seeing  that 


IN   SEARCH   OF   THE   KING  279 

the  line  at  that  point  had  just  been  overhauled  by 
the  authorities.  Lechmere's  guide  significantly 
hinted  that  the  police  were  not  quite  satisfied  with  the 
explanation  and  that  one  or  two  suspicious  characters 
had  been  arrested. 

"  Have  you  any  stranger  staying  here  just  now  ?  " 
Lechmere  asked. 

"  But  one,  sir,"  the  porter  proceeded  to  explain  : 
"  a  gentleman  at  the  hotel.  He  came  here  to  see  the 
Due  de  Mornay,  but  he  is  away  from  here.  So  the 
gentleman  is  staying  in  the  hotel." 

"  Fine  man  with  a  dark  moustache  and  pointed 
beard  ?  "  Lechmere  asked. 

The  porter  intimated  that  the  description  was 
fairly  accurate  and  Lechmere  asked  no  further 
questions  on  that  head.  He  knew  quite  well  that 
Mazaroff  was  not  far  off.  But  what  was  the  enemy 
doing  here  after  the  desired  mischief  had  been 
accomplished.  There  was  only  one  more  question 
to  ask.  What  had  become  of  the  King  of  Asturia  ? 
The  porter  put  up  his  hand  with  a  gesture  of  im- 
patience. 

"  That  is  the  puzzle,"  he  said.  "  There  were 
two  gentlemen  with  the  king  when  the  accident 
happened ;  they  are  not  badly  hurt,  M'sieu  will  under- 
stand, and  they  are  at  two  cottages  in  the  village. 
They  are  visited  from  time  to  time  by  the  gentleman 
who  is  stopping  at  the  hotel." 

"  Spy,"  Lechmere  muttered  to  himself.  "  Maza- 
roff is  leaving  nothing  to  chance.  As  to  the  king 
now  ?  " 

"As  to  the  king  nobody  knows  anything,"  the 
porter  resumed.  "  He  simply  vanished.  There  are 
some  who  say  that  he  was  spirited  away  by  Anarch- 
ists, that  the  whole  thing  was  a  vile  conspiracy.  The 


280        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

other  two  gentlemen  lay  stunned  on  the  ground  so 
that  they  could  see  nothing  of  what  was  going  on. 
And  they  are  just  as  puzzled  and  bewildered  over 
the  disappearance  of  the  king  as  anybody  else." 

Lechmere  nodded  as  if  the  thing  were  of  the  most 
trivial  importance  to  him,  but  he  was  utterly 
puzzled.  What  was  the  motive  or  the  sense  in 
spiriting  off  the  king  in  this  way  ?  If  he  was  dead, 
then  the  game  of  the  conspirators  would  simply 
be  played  for  without  any  further  efforts  of  theirs. 
Had  the  king  contrived  to  escape  unhurt,  and  had  he 
taken  this  chance  to  get  away  from  those  whom  he 
virtually  regarded  as  little  better  than  his  gaolers  ? 
By  this  time  he  was  probably  enjoying  himself 
in  Paris,  heedless  of  the  trouble  that  he  was  giving 
to  others. 

Lechmere  figured  it  out  that  he  would  have  to  get 
to  the  bottom  of  this  business  for  himself.  He 
dared  not  go  near  either  to  Maxwell  or  Alexis  for 
fear  of  meeting  Mazaroff.  It  was  imperative  that 
Mazaroff  should  not  know  of  his  presence  in  the 
village. 

The  only  thing  to  be  done  now  was  to  settle  down  in 
his  lodging  and  keep  out  of  Mazaroff's  way.  A  clean 
but  frugal  meal  was  provided  and  despatched,  for 
Lechmere  was  keen  set  and  for  the  most  part  he  did 
not  care  what  he  ate  when  on  expeditions  like  these. 
After  the  meal  was  done  he  sat  smoking  and  thinking 
over  the  problem.  Suddenly  it  occurred  to  him  that 
he  had  been  told  by  Peretori's  cablegram  to  ask  for 
the  hut  of  Pierre  Loti.  Pierre  Loti,  he  found,  bore 
anything  but  a  good  character.  It  was  a  moot  point 
as  to  how  he  got  his  living ;  he  lived  in  a  hut  in  the 
woods  close  by  where  the  accident  had  happened 
and  he  had  been  first  on  the  spot.  All  this  interested 


IN  SEARCH  OF   THE  KING  281 

Lechmere  and  he  decided  to  try  and  find  Loti  at  once. 
He  had  no  difficulty  in  running  down  his  man,  who 
was  making  hurdles  in  the  wood.  He  received  the 
advances  of  the  Englishman  with  evident  suspicion. 

"  It  is  no  use  fencing  about  like  this,"  Lechmere 
said  at  length.  "  I  have  come  all  the  way  from  Eng- 
land to  see  you.  I  had  a  telegram  asking  me  to  do  so. 
Do  you  understand  ?  " 

The  man  nodded  and  blinked  slowly.  His  cunning 
little  eyes  were  turned  on  Lechmere's  face.  He  took 
from  his  pocket  a  dirty  piece  of  paper  and  proceeded 
to  spell  out  some  rude  signs  there. 

"  I  have  a  friend,"  he  said,  "  a  gentleman  who 
has  been  very  good  to  me.  He  was  with  me  in  my 
hut  last  night.  And  before  he  went  away  he  said 
that  very  likely  a  gentleman  would  come  from  England 
to  see  me.  And  he  said  that  the  gentleman's  name 
began  by  a  certain  letter.  Would  M'sieu  be  so  good 
as  to  suggest  what  that  letter  is  likely  to  be  ?  " 

Lechmere  was  on  the  right  track  at  last  and  could 
afford  to  be  patient.  He  smiled  at  this  caution. 

"  I  should  say  it  would  be  the  letter  L,"  he  said, 
"  followed  by  Lechmere.  Is  that  good  enough  for 
you  or  do  you  want  further  proof  ?  " 

"  That  is  exactly  as  it  should  be,"  Loti  said 
approvingly.  "  Lechmere  is  the  name.  Now,  sir, 
I  was  close  by  when  the  accident  happened  yesterday. 
It  was  I  who  helped  the  wounded  people  out.  The 
driver  and  his  assistant  were  killed.  One  gentleman 
was  unconscious  and  the  other  had  a  little  sense 
left.  He  asked  me  to  take  care  of  the  third  gentleman, 
to  get  him  away  in  fact  and  say  nothing  to  anybody  till 
the  signal  came.  Only  he  wanted  my  name.  Then  this 
gentleman  he  failed  also,  and  a  little  time  later  people 
came  on  the  scene.  I  carried  away  the  one  gentleman 


282        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

to  my  hut  and  said  no  thing  of  it  to  anybody  till  another 
gentleman  came  along.  He  was  the  gentleman  who 
was  kind  to  me  and  told  me  that  a  friend  of  his  called 
Lechmere  would  come  along  presently  and  reward 
me.  I  shall  have  to  be  rewarded,  for  I  am  doing 
what  in  the  eyes  of  our  law  is  a  crime " 

"  You  need  not  worry  in  the  least  about  your 
reward,"  Lechmere  said  impatiently.  "  Take  me 
to  your  hut  and  let  me  speak  to  the  person  you  are 
hiding  there." 

"  Let  him  speak  to  you  ?  "  Loti  said  with  widely 
open  eyes.  "  I  do  not  understand.  You  do  not 
understand.  But  come  this  way;  I  keep  my 
lips  sealed  and  I  say  nothing  to  anybody.  It  is  a 
dangerous  position,  but  money  can  accomplish 
most  things.  This  way,  sir ;  I  will  see  that  you  are 
not  followed,  for  there  are  dogs  about  with  sharp 
noses.  This  way." 

The  hut  was  reached  at  length,  the  door  closed 
cautiously.  In  a  little  lean-to  shed  was  a  heap 
of  straw,  and  this  straw  Loti  proceeded  to  remove 
with  a  careful  hand. 

"  Look  down,"  he  whispered.  "  Look  down 
and  see  if  you  have  ever  seen  him  before." 

Lechmere  started  back  surprised  and  dismayed, 
almost  unnerved  for  the  moment.  For  the  dead 
white  face  looking  so  calmly  up  at  him  was  that  of 
the  ill-fated  King  of  Asturia ! 


'The  dead  white  face — was  that  of  the  ill-fated  King  of  Asturia. 


The  Weight  of  the  Crown.-  Page  182 


CHAPTER   XLIV 

DEAD  ! 

THERE  lay  the  body  of  the  King  of  Asturia 
without  a  doubt.  The  first  painful  shock 
of  surprise  over,  Lechmere  was  his  cool  prudent 
self  again.  He  knew  that  Loti  was  watching  him, 
so  it  behoved  him  to  be  careful.  He  bent  down 
and  made  a  long  examination  of  the  body.  He 
would  have  given  much  at  this  moment  for  a  few 
words  with  Peretori,  but  the  latter  seemed  to  have 
vanished  and  apparently  had  repudiated  any 
further  responsibility  after  sending  the  telegram. 
But  then  perhaps  Peretori  was  playing  some  game 
of  his  own. 

"  Do  you  know  anything  about  this  gentleman  ?  " 
he  asked  of  Loti. 

The  ragged  peasant  shrugged  his  shoulders 
indifferently.  Obviously  the  man  had  no  suspicions 
that  he  was  so  closely  on  the  fringe  of  an  international 
tragedy.  He  was  quite  sure  that  the  disaster  to 
the  special  had  not  come  about  by  accident  and  he 
murmured  something  about  socialists.  So  long 
as  he  was  well  paid  for  what  he  was  doing,  his  services 
could  be  relied  upon. 

"  There  is  more  money  for  you,  here,"  Lechmere 
said,  placing  the  soundest  argument  before  the 
peasant,  "  if  you  are  silent.  If  you  go  to  the  police 
now  they  will  ask  awkward  questions.  And  they 
will  pay  you  nothing.  Can  you  procure  a  plain 
coffin  and  convey  the  body  by  road  to,  say,  Amiens  ? 


284        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

Only  the  coffin  must  be  packed  in  another  case  so 
as  to  disguise  what  it  is,  and  I  will  give  you  the  name 
and  address  whereby  I  can  pick  up  the  case  to- 
morrow. If  you  can  do  this  thing  for  me  I  will 
pay  you  no  less  a  sum  than  two  thousand  francs." 

Loti's  eyes  gleamed.  Such  a  sum  was  beyond 
his  wildest  dreams.  It  would  make  him  independent 
for  the  rest  of  his  life.  He  nodded  eagerly. 

"  Well,  that  is  settled,"  Lechmere  proceeded. 
"  Listen.  Later  on  in  the  day  I  will  give  you  the 
address  to  be  placed  on  the  case.  Bring  me  back 
the  receipt  from  the  railway  people  at  Amiens  and 
the  money  is  yours  in  cash,  so  that  no  suspicion 
need  be  excited.  I  will  meet  you  here  to-morrow 
at  the  same  time.  You  quite  understand  ?  " 

Loti  nodded,  his  eyes  were  gleaming  like  stars. 
It  was  obvious  that  he  understood  perfectly.  Lech- 
mere  made  his  way  back  to  the  cottage  where  he 
had  obtained  shelter,  and  there  wrote  a  long  letter 
to  the  Head  of  the  Police  in  Paris.  This  he 
despatched  by  special  parcel  so  that  it  would  be  de- 
livered in  the  course  of  the  afternoon.  He  waited 
till  dark  before  setting  out  with  the  object  of  seeing 
Maxwell  and  Alexis.  There  was  considerable  danger 
in  this  course,  seeing  that  Mazaroff  was  close  at 
hand,  and,  above  all  things,  Lechmere  had  no  idea 
of  being  seen  by  the  Russian. 

That  the  train  had  been  deliberately  and  wantonly 
wrecked  with  a  view  to  preventing  the  journey 
of  the  king  to  Asturia,  Lechmere  knew  quite  well. 
To  further  their  own  design  these  people  had  taken 
no  heed  of  human  life,  they  had  stopped  at  nothing. 
And  yet  their  plan  had  not  been  carried  out  quite 
so  successfully  as  they  had  hoped  though  a  great 
meed  of  triumph  had  been  theirs.  No  doubt 


DEAD !  285 

Mazaroff  was  hanging  about  the  neighbourhood 
to  report  progress.  But  Mazaroff  would  be  puzzled 
and  rendered  somewhat  uneasy  by  the  strange 
disappearance  of  the  king.  That  he  was  dead 
the  Russian  could  not  possibly  know  or  he  would 
have  visited  Pierre  Loti. 

All  these  things  Lechmere  turned  over  in  his 
mind  as  he  made  his  way  after  dark  to  the  cottage 
where  Maxwell  was  lying.  The  primitive  peasants 
who  gave  him  shelter  had  already  retired  to  bed, 
but  the  door  had  not  been  fastened,  possibly  to 
permit  of  the  visit  of  the  doctor.  Lechmere  cau- 
tiously opened  the  door  and  looked  in.  The  common 
sitting-room  of  the  family  had  been  divided  by  a 
couple  of  sheets  over  a  clothes-horse,  and  behind 
this  Lechmere  guessed  that  the  patient  lay,  from 
the  smell  of  carbolic  on  the  sheets.  Lechmere 
secured  the  door  as  a  means  of  precaution,  and 
passed  behind  the  sheet.  As  he  expected,  Maxwell 
lay  there. 

His  face  was  terribly  bruised  and  battered, 
but  the  restless  motion  of  his  limbs  testified  to 
the  fact  that  the  nervous  vitality  was  not  greatly 
impaired.  Maxwell  opened  a  pair  of  languid  eyes 
as  Lechmere  touched  him  on  the  shoulder. 

"  Go  away,"  he  said.  "  Why  do  you  bother  ? 
There  is  nothing  much  the  matter  with  me  if  I 
were  not  so  terribly  sleepy.  I  can't  get  my  head 
right.  I  don't  know  what  that  peasant  fellow  is 
doing  ?  I  gave  him  all  the  money  I  had,  too. 
What's  the  matter  ?  " 

Maxwell's  eyes  suddenly  changed,  he  identified 
Lechmere  with  a  smile  of  pleasure. 

"  I  felt  quite  sure  that  you  would  turn  up,"  he 
whispered.  "  Was  I  successful  ?  Did  I  baffle 


286        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

them  ?  But  you  don't  know  anything  about 
that  or  about  the  king " 

"  Indeed  I  do,"  Lechmere  hastened  to  reply. 
"  I  know  everything.  The  king  is  dead,  because  I 
have  seen  his  body.  And  by  this  time  the  little 
plot  has  been  successful.  The  king  has  not  re- 
turned to  his  capital,  and  it  will  be  understood  by 
his  people  that  he  has  taken  advantage  of  the 
accident  to  go  off  on  one  of  his  dissipated  excesses, 
and  the  revolution  will  be  in  full  blast." 

"  But  those  people  don't  know  that  the  king  is 
dead  ?  "  Maxwell  asked  eagerly. 

"  They  don't.  You  worked  that  business  very 
cleverly.  And  Peretori  must  have  been  pretty  near, 
for  he  sent  me  a  cablegram  telling  me  what  to  do. 
I  found  your  Pierre  Loti.  He  she  wed  me  the  body 
of  the  king  covered  with  straw  in  his  cottage. 
Did  you  manage  all  that  ?  " 

"  I  did,"  Maxwell  said,  not  without  a  smile. 
"  When  the  accident  happened  it  came  to  me  like 
a  flash  that  the  whole  thing  had  been  brought  about 
by  design.  Our  carriage  was  literally  smashed  to 
pieces  and  we  were  thrown  on  the  permanent  way. 
The  engine-driver  and  stoker  were  killed,  so  I  and 
Alexis  managed  to  stagger  as  far  as  the  engine. 
The  king  lay  perfectly  motionless  and  I  felt  that  I 
was  going  to  collapse.  It  was  at  this  point  that 
Pierre  Loti  came  up.  I  gave  him  all  the  money  I 
had  in  my  pocket  to  get  the  king  out  of  the  way 
and  say  nothing  till  he  heard  from  me  again.  I 
should  say  that  he  has  obeyed  instructions." 

"  To  the  letter,"  Lechmere  said.  "  The  king  is 
dead,  he  must  have  been  killed  on  the  spot.  I 
compliment  you  sincerely  on  the  manner  in  which 
you  contrived  to  keep  this  thing  a  secret.  So  long 


DEAD !  287 

as  the  foe  are  in  ignorance  of  the  full  measure  of 
their  success  we  have  a  chance.  And  I  have  made 
arrangements  for  the  king  to  be  conveyed  to 
England  secretly,  Mazaroff  is  still  hanging  about 
here  on  the  off  chance  of  picking  something  up." 

"  Which  he  will  not  do.  But  what  has  become 
of  our  new  ally,  Peretori  ?  " 

"  That  I  can't  say,"  Lechmere  replied.  "  Though 
I  have  a  pretty  shrewd  idea.  But  it  is  useless  to 
speak  of  that  just  now.  What  does  the  doctor 
say  is  the  matter  with  you  ?  " 

"  Shock,  and  yet  I  feel  quite  well  at  times.  I 
can't  keep  my  eyes  open.  I  have  the  strange 
sensation  of  being  drugged.  I  am  so  thirsty  that 
I  have  to  have  a  big  jug  of  lemonade  always  by 
my  side  as  you  see.  I  am  as  tired  as  a  dog  again 
now." 

And  Maxwell  closed  his  eyes.  There  was  the 
sound  of  a  step  outside  the  cottage  and  the  door 
opened  very  cautiously.  With  a  sudden  instinct 
Lechmere  passed  at  the  back  of  the  sheets  into  the 
glow  beyond  just  in  time  to  avoid  Mazaroff,  who 
was  the  newcomer.  Holding  the  sheet  slightly 
back,  Lechmere  could  see  exactly  what  was  taking 
place.  He  saw  Maxwell  lying  as  if  in  a  heavy  sleep, 
he  saw  the  sinister  smile  that  came  over  MazarofPs 
face.  The  longer  the  protectors  of  the  absent 
king  lay  there  helpless  so  much  the  better  for 
Mazaroff  and  his  party.  The  Russian  took  a  little 
bottle  from  his  pocket  and  proceeded  to  drop  a 
few  spots  from  it  into  Maxwell's  lemonade.  With 
the  same  sinister  smile  on  his  face  he  crept  away 
in  the  direction  of  the  door.  Was  he  carrying  on 
the  same  game  with  Alexis,  Lechmere  wondered, 
or  was  some  confidante  doing  the  work  ? 


288        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

Lechmere  looked  grim  rather  than  angry,  as  he 
followed  the  Russian  into  the  open  air.  He  was 
going  to  see  if  the  experiment  was  destined  to  be 
repeated  on  Alexis.  It  would  be  the  last  time, 
Lechmere  told  himself,  for  he  had  that  morning 
put  a  spoke  in  MazarofFs  wheel  which  ought  to 
stop  the  coach  at  any  moment.  Near  the  little 
village  hotel  to  which  the  Russian  made  his  way 
two  official  looking  men  were  standing,  a  blue  paper 
in  the  hand  of  one  of  them.  One  of  them  stepped 
up  and  bowed  profoundly. 

"  Prince  Mazaroff,"  he  said.  "  Surely  I  have 
the  honour.  Ah,  I  thought  so.  You  will  consider 
yourself  my  prisoner  in  the  interests  of  the  Criminal 
Department  of  Paris.  It  is  the  warrant  that  I  hold 
in  my  hand.  You  will  have  to  come  with  me  to 
Paris." 

Mazaroff  swore  and  threatened.  He  would  like 
to  know  something  of  the  charge.  As  the  charge 
was  read  over  his  bluster  and  threats  subdued  to  a 
little  cry  of  dismay. 

"  It  is  a  case  of  mistaken  identity,"  he  said. 
"  Where  are  you  going  to  take  me  ?  To  Paris  ? 
It  is  very  unfortunate,  but  circumstances  are  too 
strong  for  me,  and  I  yield." 


CHAPTER   XLV 

CHECK ! 

MAZAROFF  was  disposed  of  at  any  rate  for  the 
present.  Lechmere's  letter  to  the  Chief  of  the 
Police  in  Paris  had  not  been  futile.  He  was  pretty 
well  posted  with  the  life  story  of  the  man  who 
called  himself  Prince  Mazaroff,  who,  in  point  of 
fact,  was  one  of  the  greatest  scoundrels  of  his  time. 
Under  another  name  the  French  police  had  long 
wanted  him  for  an  old  offence,  and  Lechmere  had 
been  in  a  position  to  supply  the  missing  details  and 
facts  for  indentification.  Besides,  the  head  of  the 
Paris  police  was  an  old  acquaintance  of  Lechmere's 
and  valued  his  opinion  highly.  Thus  it  was  that 
no  time  was  lost  in  tying  Mazaroff  by  the  heels 
after  receipt  of  Lechmere's  letter.  Mazaroff  was  a 
cunning  enough  scoundrel,  but  he  had  more  than 
his  match  in  the  old  queen's  messenger.  The 
coast  was  quite  clear  now. 

Nothing  was  in  the  way  of  taking  the  body  of 
the  unfortunate  king  back  to  England.  Nobody 
must  know  that  he  had  died,  at  least  not  for  the 
present.  The  secret  was  valuable  for  the  moment. 
Of  course  the  queen  must  be  told,  and  General 
Maxgregor,  but  nobody  else.  It  was  early  the  next 
morning  that  Lechmere  saw  both  Alexis  and  Maxwell 
and  found  them  going  on  well.  He  explained 
briefly  to  both  what  had  happened. 

"  You  will  both  be  about  again  in  a  day  or  two," 


290        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

he  said.  "  Meanwhile  it  exactly  suits  the  position 
of  affairs  for  you  to  be  here  as  invalids  who  are 
incapable  of  seeing  anybody.  But  I  have  arranged 
with  the  doctor  to  keep  the  gentleman  of  the  pencil 
at  bay.  You  know  nothing,  you  are  capable  of  no 
opinion,  you  are  utterly  indifferent  as  to  what  has 
become  of  the  king.  Obviously  he  has  escaped 
somewhere  or  his  body  would  have  been  found.  I 
fancy  you  understand." 

There  was  no  reason  to  repeat  the  question. 
With  an  easy  mind,  Lechmere  made  the  best  of  his 
way  back  to  London.  With  the  aid  of  a  few  cigars, 
he  worked  the  matter  out  to  the  end.  He  could 
see  his  way  to  damp  the  pretty  scheme  of  Countess 
Saens  and  also  regain  possession  of  those  papers. 
Nor  would  he  shew  his  hand  in  the  matter  at  all. 
The  thing  would  cause  a  little  sensation  in  London 
perhaps,  there  would  be  complications  partaking 
of  an  international  character,  but  there  it  would  end. 

Lechmere  drove  straight  with  his  gruesome  burden 
to  the  rooms  occupied  by  General  Maxgregor. 
He  found  the  latter  considerably  better  and  ready 
for  work  again.  The  flesh  wound  in  the  old  soldier's 
shoulder  had  quite  healed  up,  that  fine  constitution 
made  little  of  the  loss  of  blood. 

"  The  very  man  I  have  been  longing  to  see," 
Maxgregor  cried.  "  When  I  heard  that  you  were 
not  in  London,  I  felt  sure  that  you  were  following 
that  strange  matter  up.  Was  it  an  accident  ?  " 

"  Of  course  not,"  Lechmere  said  with  fine  con- 
tempt. "  Did  you  suppose  for  a  moment  that  it 
was  ?  The  thing  was  planned  and  accomplished 
by  Mazaroff.  Who  his  confederates  were  does  not 
matter  for  the  moment.  At  any  rate  he  managed 
it.  It  would  never  do  to  let  the  king  reach  Asturia. 


CHECK !  2Qi 

But  there  was  one  thing  they  did  not  reckon  on — 
the  disappearance." 

"  The  luck  that  ever  follows  the  foolish,"  Max- 
gregor  growled.  "  The  only  man  uninjured.  He 
takes  the  first  opportunity  to  get  away  from  his 
gaolers.  In  his  callous  way,  heedless  of  the  fact 
that  they  are  badly  hurt,  he  takes  a  carriage  and 
goes  to  Paris.  He  has  no  money,  but  the  King  of 
Asturia  can  always  raise  that  in  the  French  capital. 
Am  I  right  ?  " 

"  No,  you  are  quite  wrong,"  Lechmere  said 
gravely.  "  The  king  is  dead.  I  have  his  body 
with  me  at  the  present  moment.  Mind  you,  nobody 
knows  anything  about  it.  But  perhaps  I  had  better 
explain  to  you  how  we  managed  to  keep  the  tragic 
affair  a  secret." 

Maxgregor  listened  eagerly  to  Lechmere's  story. 
His  grave  face  was  tinged  with  deep  melancholy. 

"  That  is  very  sad,"  he  said.  "  It  will  be  a 
dreadful  blow  to  the  queen.  After  all  she  has 
gone  through  and  suffered  it  will  break  her  heart 
to  know  that  Asturia  will  fall  to  Russia  in  spite  of 
everything." 

"  Asturia  is  not  going  to  fall  into  the  hands  of 
Russia,"  Lechmere  said  drily.  "  Cunning  as  those 
people  are,  we  are  going  to  be  one  too  many  for  them. 
After  all  said  and  done,  nobody  outside  our  little 
circle  knows  that  the  king  is  dead.  I  will  explain 
presently.  Meanwhile  the  king  must  be  buried. 
We  must  get  a  certificate  without  delay.  When 
the  time  comes  the  story  can  be  made  public." 

"  It  will  be  difficult  to  get  a  certificate  from  an 
ordinary  doctor,"  said  Maxgregor. 

"  I  grant  your  point,  my  friend.  But  we  can 
get  a  certificate  from  Dr.  Varney,  who  attended  the 


292        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

king  on  and  off  for  years  during  the  time  he  visited 
London.  And  Varney  often  warned  the  king 
that  any  shock  might  be  his  end.  I  should  say 
that  he  died  of  the  shock.  Any  way  we'll  get 
Varney  in  and  ask  his  opinion.  Have  you  a  room 
that  you  can  spare  ?  If  so  we  will  complete  my 
gruesome  task  and  lock  the  body  carefully  away. 
Get  your  man  off  the  premises." 

The  whole  thing  was  managed  at  length,  and  a 
little  later  and  then  Varney  came  in.  He  made  a 
long  and  careful  examination  of  the  body  before  he 
gave  his  verdict. 

"  There  is  nothing  broken,"  he  said.  "  The 
cause  of  death  has  nothing  to  do  with  violence. 
Of  that  I  am  certain.  This  sudden  fright  acting  on 
a  heart  all  to  pieces  and  nerves  like  brown  paper 
did  the  mischief.  The  shock  stopped  the  heart 
and  the  King  of  Asturia  died.  There  is  nothing  to 
prevent  my  saying  that  I  was  called  in  here  to 
see  the  body  of  the  King  of  Asturia  and  that  I 
certified  that  shock  was  the  cause  of  death.  I  am 
so  sure  of  it  that  even  had  the  patient  been  a  common 
man,  I  should  have  certified  that  there  was  no 
cause  for  an  inquest." 

"  So  that  we  may  get  the  body  buried  without 
delay  ?  "  Maxgregor  asked. 

"Well,  I  should  say  not,"  the  cautious  Varney 
said.  "  I  am  perhaps  stretching  a  medical  point 
and  I  do  not  want  to  get  myself  into  further  trouble. 
For  political  reasons  we  do  not  want  the  public 
to  know  that  the  King  of  Asturia  is  dead.  I  am 
prepared  to  swear  as  to  what  killed  him.  But 
kings  are  not  buried  like  ordinary  bodies,  they  are 
generally  embalmed.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days 
the  sad  news  may  be  made  public  and  then  the 


CHECK !  293 

body  can  be  taken  to  Asturia  and  buried  in  state. 
The  embalmers  need  not  know  of  the  high  rank  oi 
their  subject." 

Varney  was  absolutely  right,  as  Lechmere  saw 
at  once.  Besides,  if  his  calculations  were  correct, 
the  sad  news  would  be  made  public  very  soon  now. 
People  would  ask  questions  but  they  need  not  be 
answered.  There  was  nothing  for  it  now  but  to 
break  the  news  to  the  queen. 

"  I  think  I'll  get  you  to  do  that,"  Lechmere 
said  to  Maxgregor.  "  You  are  such  an  old  friend 
and  you  can  speak  to  the  queen  in  tones  that  I 
should  not  venture  to  address  to  her.  But  it  will 
be  all  right  so  far  as  Asturia  is  concerned — Russia 
is  going  to  fail  there.  And  you  and  I  and  one  or 
two  others  will  go  down  to  the  grave  holding  one 
of  the  most  romantic  and  wildest  political  secrets 
that  has  ever  taken  place  in  Europe.  Good  luck 
to  you,  my  friend." 

Maxgregor  went  off  at  once  to  the  queen's  hotel. 
He  found  her,  to  his  surprise,  not  in  the  least  gloomy 
or  anxious ;  on  the  contrary  there  was  a  fine  smile 
on  her  face. 

"  I  have  been  longing  for  you,"  she  said.  "  If 
you  had  not  come  to  me,  positively  I  must  have 
invaded  your  rooms.  Have  you  heard  the  good 
news — I  mean  the  good  news  of  the  king  ?  " 

Maxgregor  looked  with  some  alarm  at  the  royal 
speaker.  Thoughts  of  a  brain  unhinged  by  trouble 
rose  before  him.  Evidently  the  queen  had  taken 
leave  of  her  senses." 

"  The  good  news,"  he  stammered.  "  Margaret, 
there  is  no  good  news.  Somebody  has  been  cruelly 
deceiving  you.  You  must  be  prepared  to  hear 
that  which  is  bad,  very  bad,'* 


294        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  But  the  king  escaped,"  the  queen  cried. 
"  He  escaped  from  the  wrecked  train  and  made  his 
way  secretly  and  swiftly  to  our  capital.  It  was 
perhaps  the  one  unselfish  and  manly  action  of  his 
life.  He  was  bruised  and  battered  but  he  was 
sufficiently  himself  to  meet  his  ministers.  Tomani 
has  cabled  me." 

"  Impossible  !  "  Maxgregor  cried.  "  Madame, 
the  king  is  dead.  He  was  killed  in  that  accident. 
Mr.  Charles  Maxwell,  though  sorely  hurt  himself, 
managed  to  get  the  body  conveyed  to  a  place  of 
safety  so  that  nobody  should  know,  and  the  body 
has  been  brought  to  England.  Mr.  Lechmere 
managed  it  in  the  most  wonderful  way.  The  body 
is  at  present  in  my  rooms  safely  under  lock  and  key. 
I  have  seen  it,  Mr.  Lechmere  has  of  course  seen  it, 
and  so  has  Dr.  Varney,  who  is  prepared  to  certify 
that  the  cause  of  death  was  shock  to  the  system. 
I  came  here  on  purpose  to  bring  you  the  ill  tidings. 
I  pray  you  be  buoyed  up  with  no  hopes  on  such 
a  fallacy  as  this.  If  you  like  to  come  and  see  for 
yourself " 

The  queen  passed  her  hand  across  her  brows  in 
a  bewildered  sort  of  way.  At  the  same  time  she 
took  up  a  grey  cablegram  from  the  table  by  her  side. 

"  Listen  to  what  Tomani  says,"  she  cried. 
"  Listen — '  King  here  safe  but  knocked  about  from 
the  result  of  his  accident.  Met  him  myself.  Is  at 
present  in  consultation  with  ministers.  Will  let 
your  majesty  know  result  of  deliberations  as  soon 
as  settled.  Tomani.'  Paul,  what  does  it  mean  ?  " 

But  for  once  in  his  life  General  Maxgregor  was 
incapable  of  reply. 


CHAPTER   XLVI 

MATE     IN     TWO     MOVES 

MAXGREGOR  made  no  reply  for  a  moment. 
It  flashed  across  his  mind  that  some  person 
or  persons  were  playing  a  cruel  hoax  on  the  queen. 

But  a  moment's  reflection  served  to  show  that 
such  a  thing  was  impossible.  In  the  first  place  the 
telegram  was  in  the  cyper  used  by  the  queen  in 
communicating  with  Tomani,  the  only  really  faith- 
ful friend  she  possessed  in  the  councils  of  the  govern- 
ment party  of  Asturia.  And  Tomani's  honour  was 
beyond  question. 

The  queen  was  first  to  speak.  She  crossed  over 
and  laid  a  shaking  hand  on  Maxgregor's  arm. 

"You  must  be  mistaken,"  she  sa;d.  "Unless 
Tomani — but  not  for  a  moment  do  I  doubt  him. 
I  trust  him  as  implicitly  as  I  trust  yourself.  And 
yet  you  say — you  say " 

"  That  the  king  is  dead,  madame.  The  king 
was  killed  in  the  disaster  that  happened  to  his 
special  train  between  here  and  Paris.  Mind  you, 
nobody  knows  of  this  with  the  exception  of  the 
faithful  few  into  whose  hands  you  would  place  your 
life  safely.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  disaster  was 
no  accident  at  all,  it  was  deliberately  brought  about 
by  Countess  Saens  and  Prince  Mazaroff  for  their 
own  ends.  The  miscreants  disappeared  and  I  am 
afraid  that  we  shall  not  have  the  satisfaction  of 
laying  them  by  the  heels.  The  driver  and  stoker 
of  the  train  were  killed  so  that  it  is  impossible  t« 


295 


296        THE    WEIGHT   OF   THE    CROWN 

obtain  their  testimony.  Captain  Alexis  and  Mr. 
Charles  Maxwell  escaped  by  a  miracle,  though  they 
are  both  badly  knocked  about.  It  was  Mr.  Maxwell 
who  saved  the  situation  and  contrived  to  get  the 
body  of  the  king  smuggled  away." 

"  But  the  telegram,  General,  the  telegram  ?  " 
the  queen  cried.  "Tomani  says  that  the  king 
is  in  our  capital  closeted  with  ministers.  Perhaps 
at  this  very  moment " 

"  But,  madame,  I  assure  you  that  the  king  is  no 
more,"  Maxgregor  protested.  "There  is  some 
strange  maddening  mystery  here  that  will  be  ex- 
plained in  time.  I  say  the  king  is  dead,  if  necessary 
I  am  prepared  to  prove  that  to  you.  The  body 
was  smuggled  away  so  that  Russia  should  have  no 
pretext  for  interfering.  It  was  essential  that  they 
should  not  know  what  had  happened,  for  the  present 
at  any  rate.  They  must  not  know  till  we  can  get 
Prince  Alix  on  the  scene." 

"  You  are  assuming  a  thing  that  you  can  prove  ?  " 
the  queen  asked  hoarsely. 

"  Indeed  I  am,  madame.  Try  and  realise  the 
fact  that  your  sway  is  ended.  It  expires  with  the 
life  of  the  king  as  you  know.  Therefore,  we  must 
put  all  private  feeling  aside  and  strain  every  nerve 
to  get  Prince  Alix  to  Asturia  before  the  Russians 
learn  what  has  happened.  Once  Prince  Alix  is 
nominated  to  the  succession,  Russia  is  powerless. 
Do  you  follow  me  ?  " 

"I  should  follow  you  better  if  I  were  certain  that 
you  were  telling  me  hard  facts,  General." 

"  Heaven  only  knows  that  I  am,  madame.  That 
the  king  is  dead  is  beyond  question.  Let  me 
finish  what  I  am  going  to  say.  I  have  had  every- 
thing from  Lechmere.  He  had  a  mysterious  mes- 


MATE    IN    TWO    MOVES  297 

sage  from  Prince  Peretori  urging  him  to  go  at  once 
to  the  scene  of  the  disaster.  He  was  told  to  visit 
the  cottage  of  a  certain  peasant  and  give  proofs  of 
his  identity.  There  he  saw  the  body  of  the  king 
hidden  away.  The  body  was  brought  back  to 
England,  and  at  present  it  is  locked  in  one  of  my 
rooms.  I  have  seen  it,  Lechmere  has  seen  it,  so 
has  Dr.  Varney." 

The  queen  passed  her  hand  across  her  forehead 
with  a  gesture  of  despair. 

"  It  is  all  bewildering  and  so  confusing,  so  sudden! " 
she  cried.  "  You  come  to  me  and  tell  me  this  a 
few  minutes  after  the  receipt  of  Tomani's  tele- 
gram." 

"  I  do  not  wish  to  be  hard  or  unkind,"  Maxgregor 
interrupted.  "  But  I  must  ask  you  for  the  present 
to  forget  that  telegram.  That  side  of  the  mystery 
will  doubtless  be  cleared  up  in  time.  What  most 
concerns  us  now  is  the  king  and  the  fact  that  his 
death  must  be  concealed  from  everybody  until  we 
have  had  time  to  communicate  with  Prince  Alix. 
Of  your  dream  and  mine  we  can  say  nothing  ;  that 
is  shattered.  Our  whole  energies  too  must  be  de- 
voted to  the  task  of  defeating  Russia.  And  the 
king  has  to  be  buried,  you  understand." 

"  But  that  cannot  be  done  without  necessary 
formalities,"  the  queen  protested.  "In  England " 

"  Yes,  I  know  that  in  England  they  do  things 
differently  to  what  they  do  abroad.  But  most 
fortunately,  we  have  Dr.  Varney  on  our  side.  He 
attended  the  king,  he  is  prepared  to  certify  that 
death  was  the  result  of  a  shock  and  that  nothing 
in  the  way  of  an  inquest  was  necessary.  Officially, 
the  doctor  is  not  supposed  to  know  anything  about 
the  railway  accident.  He  is  not  bound  to  speak 


298        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

of  what  has  happened  until  officially,  you,  as  royal 
consort,  see  fit  to  announce  to  the  world  that  King 
Erno  of  Asturia  is  no  more.  Varney  suggests  that 
the  body  be  embalmed  and  conveyed  to  Asturia 
for  burial.  You  see  everything  plays  for  our  hand 
if  we  can  only  be  bold  and  do  not  lose  our  oppor- 
tunities." 

The  queen  made  no  reply  for  a  little  time,  she 
paced  up  and  down  the  room  lost  in  thought.  A 
kingdom  had  slipped  through  her  fingers,  all  her 
darling  ambition  had  fallen  suddenly  to  the  ground. 
The  cup  of  humiliation  was  full  to  the  brim  and  she 
had  to  drink  it  to  the  dregs.  And  yet  through  it 
all  was  the  consolation  that  peace  and  quietness 
henceforth  would  be  her  portion.  She  had  been 
tried  beyond  her  strength  of  late. 

"  Paul,"  she  said,  with  a  gentle  sweetness  that 
surprised  Maxgregor.  "I  place  myself  entirely 
in  your  hands.  I  have  done  more  than  a  woman's 
portion  and  I  have  failed.  The  fact  that  I  knew 
that  I  should  fail  from  the  first  does  not  render  my 
humiliation  any  the  less  bitter.  The  king  is  dead, 
and  for  his  own  sake  and  mine  I  do  not  regret  it. 
My  married  life  has  been  a  nightmare,  I  am  glad 
that  it  is  over.  How  can  I  grieve  for  this  thing 
when  I  remember  what  I  have  suffered  ?  Hence- 
forth I  take  no  part  in  politics — that  is,  after  we 
have  successfully  placed  Alix  on  a  firm  throne. 
The  people  will  follow  him  as  they  never  would 
have  followed  me,  devoted  as  I  was  to  their  interests. 
When  you  came  in  I  was  getting  ready  to  start  for 
Asturia.  I  was  going  to  travel  incognito  and  let 
it  be  understood  that  I  was  still  in  England.  And 
that  splendid  girl  Jessie  Harcourt  was  coming  with 
me.  It  is  just  as  well  that  she  should  be  out  of  the 


MATE   IN   TWO   MOVES  299 

way  fcr  some  little  time,  and  her  courage  and  devo- 
tion an*  splendid." 

Before  Maxgregor  could  make  any  reply,  Jessie 
came  into  the  room.  She  was  quietly  dressed  in 
black  and  evidently  ready  for  a  journey.  At  the 
sight  of  the  queen's  pale  face  and  the  presence  of 
Maxgregor  she  started  and  backed  towards  the 
door.  The  queen  detained  her. 

"  This  is  no  private  conversation,"  she  said, 
"at  least  not  so  far  as  you  are  concerned.  I  should 
like  you  to  know  everything,  for  I  feel  how  implicitly 
I  can  trust  you.  General  Maxgregor  brings  some 
startling  news.  News  so  strange  that  I  would  not 
believe  it  for  a  time.  He  says  the  king  is  dead." 

"  Dead  !  "  Jessie  exclaimed.  "  But  that  telegram, 
madame.  Surely  your  friend  Tomani ?  " 

"  Is  beyond  reproach.  Nor  can  I  believe  that 
anybody  has  obtained  access  to  my  private  cypher. 
And  yet  the  king  is  dead.  The  General  will  tell 
you  all  about  that." 

Maxgregor  reported  his  story  over  again,  Jessie 
listening  with  dilated  eyes.  How  many  ages  ago, 
she  wondered,  since  she  was  filling  her  dreary 
routine  duties  in  Bond  Street.  But  she  seemed  to 
have  left  that  old  life  behind  her  years  ago.  She 
was  piecing  the  puzzle  together  as  Maxgregor  spoke. 
At  the  name  of  Peretori  a  sudden  light  flashed  in 
upon  her. 

"  Prince  Peretori,"  she  cried.  "  It  was  Prince 
Peretori  who  sent  that  mysterious  telegram  to  Mr. 
Lechmere.  Then  the  Prince  must  have  known  all 
about  it,  I  mean  after  the  accident.  And  Prince 
Peretori  was  the  man  who  impersonated  the  king 
for  the  sake  of  a  bet  and  then  foolishly  played  into 
the  hands  of  Countess  Saens  and  the  rest  of  them. 


300        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

It  was  he  who  passed  himself  off  to  the  Editor  of 
the  Mercury  as  King  of  Asturia.  Surely  you  can 
see  what  has  happened  ?  " 

"  I  wish  I  did,"  Maxgregor  muttered.  "  It  would 
simplify  matters  wonderfully." 

"  Why,  the  problem  is  already  solved,"  said 
Jessie.  "  Prince  Peretori  was  sincerely  sorry  for 
the  part  he  had  played.  He  said  he  would  do  his 
best  to  make  amends.  Ah,  he  is  far  cleverer  in  his 
frivolous  way  than  you  give  him  credit  for.  He 
foresaw  something  of  this  and  hung  in  disguise  on 
the  track  of  the  king.  He  was  not  far  off  when 
the  accident  took  place.  And  thus  he  was  on  his 
way  when  he  was  assured  of  the  fact  that  the  king 
was  dead.  Once  more  he  played  the  part  of  the 
King  of  Asturia.  He  made  up  as  the  king,  he 
would  probably  use  a  few  bandages  and  a  discoloured 
face  so  as  to  make  detection  absolutely  impossible. 
The  king  was  expected  in  his  capital  and  the  prince 
went  there  instead.  Hence  the  telegram  from 
Tomani  who  had  not  detected  the  imposture.  By 
this  time  you  may  be  sure  that  Prince  Alix  is  on 
the  spot.  It  is  the  old  story  of  the  comedy  man 
who  comes  forward  at  the  crisis  and  saves  the  play." 

*'  She  is  right,"  Maxgregor  shouted.  "  For  a 
a  million  she  has  hit  the  right  nail  on  the  head." 


CHAPTER   XLVII 

THE   SITUATION   IS   SAVED 

THERE  was  no  reason  to  say  any  more.  Both 
listeners  felt  that  the  situation  was  saved ; 
they  felt,  too,  that  Jessie  was  absolutely  right.  Her 
logic  lacked  no  force,  because  it  was  so  clear  and 
simple.  The  queen  paused  in  her  agitated  walk 
and  crossed  towards  the  door. 

"That  is  settled,  then,"  she  said.  "My  dear 
friend  here  has  solved  the  problem.  But  there  is 
yet  much  to  be  done  before  we  are  safe  and  Asturia 
is  preserved  from  the  grip  of  the  wolf.  I  should 
like  to  see  the  king." 

Maxgregor  had  no  objection  to  make.  Perhaps 
on  the  whole  it  would  be  better  for  the  queen  to 
be  quite  sure  that  he  told  no  more  than  the  truth. 
It  was  a  sufficiently  sad  hour  that  followed  before 
the  queen  returned  to  her  hotel  again.  She  was 
hardly  back  before  Lord  Merehaven  was  announced. 
His  easy  air  vanished  as  he  entered  the  room,  he 
looked  very  old  and  agitated.  There  was  just  a 
wild  gleam  in  his  eyes  as  his  gaze  fell  on  Jessie. 

"  I  have  been  hearing  strange  things,  madame," 
he  said.  "  My  niece  has  been  confessing  the  truth. 
So  it  was  this  young  lady  who  was  responsible  for 
so  many  of  the  startling  events  of  the  other  night. 
Not  that  I  propose  to  recognise  that  I  am  in  any- 
way  " 

"  For  Heaven's  sake,  forget  that  you  are  a  diplo- 
mat and  a  minister  for  once,  my  lord,"  the  queen 


302        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

said.  "This  is  a  matter  that  closely  touches  your 
personal  honour  and  mine.  I  beg  you  to  believe 
that  I  did  not  know  of  the  change  of  identity  till 
this  young  lady  accompanied  me  here  from  your 
house.  Surely  you  must  recognise  her  bravery  and 
courage,  that  she  ran  all  these  risks  merely  to  help  one 
whom  she  had  never  seen  before.  It  was  a  strange 
position  for  a  lady " 

"  An  impossible  position  for  a  lady,"  Merehaven 
said  drily. 

"  I  think  not,"  the  queen  said,  just  a  little  coldly. 
"It  was  done  on  the  spur  of  the  moment.  If  your 
niece  has  told  you  everything,  surely  you  must 
be  aware  of  that." 

"  My  niece  has  told  me  everything,  madame," 
Merehaven  went  on.  "  She  had  planned  a  desperate 
enterprise  to  save  the  man  she  loved  and  she  wanted 
to  so  place  it  that  she  could  leave  the  house  all  the 
while  her  friends  could  testify  that  she  had  not  gone 
beyond  the  front  door.  And  Vera  came  very  near 
to  success " 

"  Very  near  to  success ! "  the  queen  cried. 
"She  did  succeed.  She  obtained  possession  of  those 
missing  papers.  It  is  true  that  she  lost  them  again, 
but  they  passed  out  of  the  possession  of  Countess 
Saens  and  thus  deprived  her  of  one  of  her  most 
powerful  weapons.  The  bold  attempt  to  free  Mr. 
Maxwell  from  blame " 

"  Mr.  Maxwell  was  not  in  the  least  to  blame,  as 
matters  turned  out,"  Merehaven  explained. 
"  Captain  Lancing  was  the  culprit  all  through. 
Mr.  Maxwell  was  foolish  in  his  little  flirtation  with 
the  Countess — which  by  the  way  she  forced  upon 
him — gave  colour  to  his  guilt.  It  was  Maxwell's 
wild  endeavour  to  save  Lancing  that  brought  sus- 


THE   SITUATION    IS   SAVED  303 

picion  on  him,  but  I  shall  be  able  to  satisfy  Maxwell's 
chiefs  that  he  has  nothing  to  ask  forgiveness  for 
when  the  time  comes.  As  a  matter  of  fact  a  letter 
written  by  Captain  Lancing  before  he  committed 
suicide  has  come  to  hand  and  he  takes  all  the 
blame." 

"  But  this  need  not  become  public  property," 
the  queen  said. 

"It  is  not  going  to  become  public  property," 
Merehaven  said.  "We  shall  let  the  rumour  die. 
We  shall  assume  that  the  whole  thing  was  merely 
a  foolish  newspaper  canard.  All  the  same  there 
were  papers  stolen  and  they  did  pass  into  Countess 
Saen's  hands.  And  Count  Gleikstein  is  acting  as 
if  he  knew  the  contents  and  as  if  he  had  possession 
of  the  papers.  Probably  it  is  only  bluff,  but  it  is 
giving  me  a  deal  of  anxiety." 

"  You  mean  that  you  cannot  feel  quite  certain 
whether  or  not  those  papers  are  in  the  hands  of  the 
Count  or  not  ?"  Jessie  asked.  "He  is  acting  as  if 
he  possessed  them  ?  " 

"  You  are  an  exceedingly  clever  young  lady," 
Merehaven  smiled.  "  That  is  exactly  the  point. 
I  have  a  wonderfully  shrewd  man  to  deal  with 
and  he  is  puzzling  me  utterly.  If  he  has  not  the 
papers  and  I  can  prove  it,  then  I  can  afford  to  laugh 
and  affect  ignorance.  Whereas " 

"  Perhaps  I  had  better  tell  you  exactly  how 
things  stand,"  the  queen  remarked.  "  You  need 
not  know  anything  of  this  officially  as  yet,  but  the 
more  fully  you  are  posted  the  better  for  your  fight 
with  Count  Gleikstein.  I  am  going  to  tell  you  a 
story  that  will  astonish  you,  diplomat  as  you  are." 

The  queen  did  not  boast.  Merehaven  was  un- 
affectedly astonished  and  showed  it.  He  walked 


304        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

up  and  down  the  room  muttering  to  himself  as  he 
walked. 

"  Did  ever  anybody  ever  hear  anything  so  amaz- 
ing," he  said.  "If  I  could  only  be  sure  now  what 
has  become  of  those  stolen  papers.  Does  anybody 
guess  where  they  are  ?  " 

"  I  can't  go  as  far  as  that,"  Jessie  said.  "  But 
I  can  guess  who  does  know.  I  fully  believe  that 
lost  secret  will  be  found  in  the  possession  of  Mr. 
Lechmere." 

Merehaven  gave  a  grunt  of  delight.  The  moody 
frown  passed  away  from  his  face.  "  You  really 
are  a  very  clever  young  lady,"  he  said.  "  I  suppose 
when  the  time  comes  to  smooth  out  things  I  shall 
have  to  forgive  you  for  the  part  you  have  played. 
But  your  suggestion  as  to  Lechmere  is  brilliant, 
distinctly  brilliant.  I'll  go  to  him  at  once." 

The  early  edition  of  the  evening  papers  was  once 
more  full  of  the  affairs  of  Asturia,  and  the  newsboys 
were  proclaiming  the  fact  as  they  ran  along  before 
Merehaven.  It  was  quite  clear  from  the  rumours 
emanating  from  the  Asturian  capital  that  the  enemy 
had  no  real  grip  as  yet  of  the  true  position  of  things. 
King  Erno  was  back  again  in  his  capital  once  more, 
he  had  met  his  disaffected  ministers  frankly  and 
openly  for  once  in  his  life,  and  he  was  prepared  to 
place  himself  entirely  in  the  hands  of  his  advisers. 
He  admitted  that  he  had  not  been  a  model  monarch 
in  his  time,  but  then,  physically  and  intellectually, 
he  was  not  fit  for  so  exalted  a  position.  If  there 
was  any  question  of  his  successor,  he  should  like 
to  name  Prince  Alix,  whom  he  had  every  reason  to 
believe  was  close  at  hand. 

Merehaven  chuckled  as  he  walked  along  reading 
all  this  from  a  Telephone.  Once  Prince  Alix  accepted 


THE   SITUATION    IS    SAVED  305 

the  successor,  Russia  would  be  beaten.  And  that 
they  should  be  so  innocent  as  to  stand  by  when, 
had  they  known  it,  all  the  cards  were  in  their  hands 
was  a  piece  of  diplomatic  success  that  pleased 
Merehaven  exceedingly.  He  even  forgot  his 
troubles  over  those  evening  papers  and  the  battle 
with  Gleikstein. 

Lechmere  was  not  at  home,  but  he  had  left  direc- 
tions that  if  anybody  desired  to  see  him  particu- 
larly he  was  to  be  found  for  the  next  hour  or  so  at 
the  Orient  Club,  and  thither  Merehaven  made  his 
way.  He  found  Lechmere  reading  an  evening 
paper  and  smoking  a  long  black  cigar  as  if  he  were 
one  of  the  most  idle  and  purposeless  men  in  the 
world.  But  as  he  glanced  up  at  Merehaven's  face 
he  saw  that  the  latter  knew  everything.  He  laid 
his  paper  aside  and  drew  Merehaven  into  a  corner. 

"  I  suppose  you  have  heard  the  amazing  story, 
my  lord  ?  "  he  asked. 

Merehaven  replied  that  he  had  nothing  to  acquire 
in  that  direction.  He  plunged  immediately  into 
his  subject.  He  could  be  very  direct  and  to  the 
point  if  he  chose. 

"  That  is  why  I  came  to  you,"  he  said  in  conclu- 
sion. "Is  it  not  possible  that  you  can  give  me  a 
real  helping  hand  in  the  direction  of  recovering 
those  confounded  papers  ?  " 

"  I  think  that  I  can  be  of  material  assistance 
to  you  and  that  before  very  long,"  Lechmere  smiled. 
"  I  have  laid  the  match  to  a  carefully  prepared 
mine  and  the  explosion  may  take  place  at  any 
moment.  You  see  I  take  a  considerable  interest 
in  the  career  of  international  adventurers,  and  the 
careers  of  both  Prince  Mazaroff  and  Countess  Saens 
interest  me  exceedingly.  I  hinted  to  you  that  if 

U 


306        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

the  continental  police  liked  to  follow  certain  things 
up  it  would  be  awkward  for  the  lady.  As  to  the 
gentleman,  I  gave  such  information  about  him  as 
led  to  his  arrest  and  subsequent  detention  in  Paris 
Unless  I  am  greatly  mistaken,  he  will  not  trouble 
the  world  much  for  the  next  few  years.  Now  it  so 
happens  that  I  also  desire  to  have  the  Countess 
Saens  out  of  the  way  for  a  space.  There  are  certain 
possessions  of  hers  that  I  desire  to  examine.  So  I 
have  found  the  means." 

"  Will  that  bring  those  papers  into  sight, 
though  ?  "  Merehaven  asked. 

Lechmere  rather  thought  that  it  would.  He 
was  proceeding  to  explain  when  an  excited  man 
rushed  into  the  smoking-room  evidently  primed 
and  bursting  with  some  fine  piece  of  scandal.  He 
pounced  upon  the  two  acquaintances  in  the  window 
as  proper  recipients  of  the  news. 

"  The  latest,  the  very  latest,"  he  cried.  "  Who 
on  earth  would  have  thought  it  ?  A  fine  woman 
like  that  with  a  good  position  and  any  amount  of 
money.  Who  do  I  mean  ?  Why,  Countess  Saens. 
Arrested  by  the  police  as  she  was  getting  into  her 
carriage  and  taken  to  Bow  Street  like  a  common  thief. 
Charged  with  forgery  or  something  of  that  kind. 
What  ?  " 

Lechmere  rose  very  quietly  from  his  seat  and 
pitched  his  cigar  into  the  grate. 

"  Come  along,"  he  whispered.  "  There  is  no  time 
to  be  lost.  Unless  I  am  grievously  out  in  my 
calculations,  those  papers  will  be  in  your  hands 
before  the  hour  is  up." 


L 


CHAPTER   XLVIII 

f 

THE   PAPERS  AT  LAST 

ORD  MEREHAVEN  foUowed  Lechmere 
eagerly  down  the  steps  of  the  club.  He  was 
anxious  and  excited  now  as  any  schoolboy  with  the 
prospect  of  a  last  holiday  before  him.  The  diplo- 
matist became  merged  in  the  mere  man.  He  plied 
Lechmere  with  questions. 

"  I  think  that  we  had  better  have  a  cab,"  said  the 
latter.  "  In  the  first  instance  we  have  to  go  as 
far  as  General  Maxgregor's  rooms.  After  that  we 
will  proceed  to  the  residence  of  Countess  Saens. 
Yes,  you  are  quite  right.  It  was  I  who  supplied 
the  police  with  the  information  that  led  up  to  this 
sensational  arrest." 

"  Pity  you  had  not  done  it  before,"  Merehaven 
spluttered,  as  he  jammed  his  top  hat  in  the  door  of 
the  hansom.  "  It  would  have  saved  a  wonderful 
lot  of  trouble." 

Lechmere  demurred.  He  had  known  for  some 
time  a  great  deal  of  the  past  of  the  woman  who 
was  known  to  society  as  Countess  Saens.  As  a 
matter  of  fact  he  had  bided  his  time,  little  dreaming 
how  soon  it  would  be  necessary  to  make  use  of  his 
information. 

"  I  think  I  told  you  before  who  the  woman  was," 
he  said.  "  Or  was  it  General  Maxgregor  ?  Any- 
way, it  does  not  in  the  least  matter.  For  my  part, 
I  rather  regret  the  necessity  for  putting  this  woman 
out  of  the  way.  It  is  far  better  to  keep  such  people 


3o8        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

under  observation  and  thus  keep  in  touch  with  one's 
enemies.  But  I  could  see  no  other  way." 

"  But  you  won't  frighten  her  into  speaking," 
Merehaven  said. 

"  Of  course  we  shan't.  She  has  too  much  pluck 
for  that.  I  want  to  get  her  out  of  the  way  because 
it  is  desirable  to  search  her  house  for  the  missing 
papers  without  suspicion  of  our  designs.  And  we 
are  going  to  find  the  papers  there  sure  enough." 

"  Surely  you  must  be  mistaken,"  Merehaven 
protested.  "  If  the  countess  still  has  the  papers, 
she  would  have  handed  them  over  to  Count  Gleik- 
stein,  who  would  have  made  profit  over  them.  She 
would  have  given  us  no  quarter  like  he  is  doing  now." 

"  I  did  not  say  that  the  countess  had  the  papers," 
Lechmere  said  drily.  "  I  said  they  were  in  the  house, 
which  is  quite  a  different  matter.  But  here  we  are 
at  Maxgregor's." 

Maxgregor  was  out  as  the  hall  porter- valet  Robert 
told  Lechmere.  But  the  latter  did  not  seem  in  the 
least  disappointed.  He  proceeded  up  the  stairs 
to  the  general's  rooms,  intimating  that  Robert  had 
better  follow  him.  The  man  did  so  wondering,  but 
he  had  no  anxiety  for  himself  yet.  Lechmere 
wanted  to  go  into  the  general's  bedroom,  he  also 
wanted  to  see  the  suit  of  dress  clothes  worn  by  the 
general  on  the  night  of  his  return  from  Lady  Mere- 
haven's  reception.  With  some  little  demur  Robert 
produced  the  garments  in  question  from  a  ward- 
robe. Lechmere  smiled  with  an  air  of  easy  triumph 
as  he  produced  a  flat  packet  of  papers  from  the 
dress  coat  pocket. 

"  Exactly  as  I  expected,"  he  murmured  to  Lord 
Merehaven.  "  This  is  the  dress  suit  worn  by  the 
king  when  he  was  smuggled  into  your  house  by 


THE   PAPERS   AT   LAST  309 

the  queen  and  her  tiring  woman  on  the  night  of  the 
reception.  As  I  have  told  you  before,  Maxgregor 
escaped  in  the  king's  clothes.  In  these  clothes  was 
the  Deed  of  Abdication  ready  for  signature  as  handed 
to  the  king  by  Marazoff.  If  you  will  open  that 
packet  you  will  see  whether  I  am  wrong  or  not." 

Lechmere  was  not  wrong,  it  was  the  Deed  of 
Abdication  right  enough.  Very  grimly  Lord  Mere- 
haven  placed  it  in  a  position  of  safety.  It  was  a 
strong  weapon  that  Lechmere  had  afforded  lor  his 
next  interview  with  Count  Gleikstein. 

"  I  felt  quite  certain  that  we  should  find  it,'* 
Lechmere  said.  "  And  now  let  us  proceed  a  stage 
further.  Where  is  General  Maxgregor's  telephone, 
Robert  ?  " 

Robert  explained  that  the  telephone  was  in  the 
next  room.  The  servant  seemed  a  little  easier  in 
his  mind  as  he  led  the  way  to  the  sitting-room. 
Then  Lechmere  closed  the  door  and  looked  at  the 
man  keenly. 

"  You  are  going  to  do  something  for  me,  Robert," 
he  said.  "  Be  so  good  as  to  call  up  No.  99996  Bel- 
gravia.  Ah,  I  see  that  the  number  is  well  known  to 
you.  I  have  every  reason  to  believe  that  you  have 
called  up  that  number  many  times  before.  Now  listen 
to  me  and  do  exactly  what  I  tell  you  or  you  may 
make  the  acquaintance  of  the  inside  of  a  gaol 
before  long.  You  are  going  to  help  me  to  find  cer- 
tain papers  which,  though  you  may  not  be  a  party 
to  stealing  them,  you  know  all  about  them  and  their 
value  and  the  like." 

"  I  am  sure  that  I  don't  know  what  you  mean, 
sir,"  Robert  said  sulkily. 

"  Then  it  will  be  necessary  for  me  to  refresh  your 
memory,  Robert.  I  mean  those  papers  that  you 


310        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

were  discussing  the  other  night  with  Annette — the 
night  you  had  the  champagne  supper  at  Countess 
Saens'  house.  The  papers  returned  by  the  police- 
man, you  know,  found  by  him  in  Piccadilly.  You 
and  Annette  were  going  to  sell  them  and  buy  a 
boarding-house  in  Brook  Street  with  the  proceeds. 
I  think  it  would  be  far  better  for  you  to  recollect, 
Robert." 

The  valet-porter  collapsed  without  further  signs 
of  fight.  There  was  nothing  of  the  born  conspirator 
about  him.  He  was  no  more  or  less  than  a  tolerably 
dishonest  London  servant.  He  was  quite  ready  to 
do  anything  that  Mr.  Lechmere  asked  him. 

"  Then  call  up  99996  and  ask  for  Annette," 
Lechmere  said  curtly.  "  Say  that  you  must  see 
her  at  once  here  without  the  slightest  delay.  No 
occasion  to  explain  the  reason.  Then  you  can 
hang  the  receiver  up  quietly  as  if  you  were  cut  off, 
so  that  the  young  woman  has  no  time  to  ask  ques- 
tions. After  that  you  will  come  with  me  in  my 
cab.  It  won't  be  gallant  conduct  so  far  as  Annette 
is  concerned  but  I  can't  help  that.  You  can  make 
the  best  of  your  explanations  later  on." 

"  What  do  you  want  that  fellow  for  ?  "  Merehaven 
asked,  as  Robert  proceeded  to  carry  out  his  instruc- 
tions. 

Lechmere  replied  that  he  had  no  need  whatever  of 
Robert's  services,  but  that  he  had  not  the  smallest 
intention  of  leaving  him  there  to  sound  the  note  of 
alarm  over  the  telephone  directly  they  had  gone. 
Lord  Merehaven  had  not  seen  this  point,  it  would 
have  escaped  him.  But  Lechmere  was  not  in  the 
habit  of  leaving  his  pawns  unaccounted  for  like  that. 
He  listened  close  by  the  telephone  till  he  heard  the 
small  distnnt  voice  of  Annette  saying  that  she  would 


THE   PAPERS   AT   LAST  311 

come  round  at  once,  then  he  jerked  up  the  receiver 
and  rang  off  connection  sharply. 

"  Now  come  along,"  he  said.  "  By  the  time  we 
reach  the  residence  of  Countess  Saens,  Annette  will 
be  well  on  her  way  here,  indeed  we  shall  probably 
pass  her  in  the  cab.  For  the  sake  of  our  friend  Robert 
it  will  be  necessary  to  take  a  four-wheeler  this  time. 
Come  along." 

Lechmere  proved  to  be  perfectly  correct  as  to  the 
meeting  of  Annette  on  her  way  to  keep  the  appoint- 
ment. The  cab  pulled  up  not  too  close  to  the 
countess'  residence  and  Lechmere  alighted,  bidding 
Lord  Merehaven  wait  until  he  returned.  As  he 
expected,  the  house  was  in  the  hands  of  the  police 
pending  the  arrival  of  the  owner's  agent,  who  had 
been  telegraphed  for.  The  inspector  in  charge  was 
an  old  acquaintance  of  Lechmere's  and  seemed  glad 
to  see  him. 

"  Bit  of  a  sensation,  this,  Roscoe,"  Lechmere 
said  guardedly.  "  But  one  never  knows,  do  they  ?  " 

Roscoe  smiled  with  the  air  of  a  man  who 
was  used  to  these  surprises.  He  intimated  that 
this  was  going  to  be  a  big  business,  there  would  be  a 
formal  remand  applied  for,  and  after  that  the  foreign 
police  proposed  to  take  a  hand  in  the  matter. 

"  Have  you  had  the  house  searched  yet  ? " 
Lechmere  asked.  "  No  ?  Well,  you'd  better  get  a 
warrant.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  countess  is  a 
brilliant  political  spy  and  there  may  be  things  here 
well  worth  the  inspection  of  the  British  Government. 
Don't  say  I  didn't  give  you  the  tip.  I  suppose  you 
don't  mind  my  going  over  the  house.  I  may  see 
something  worth  noting." 

Roscoe  had  no  objection  whatever.  Lechmere 
made  an  elaborate  pretence  of  inspecting  the  room 


312        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

and  then  he  strolled  up  to  the  servants'  quarters 
in  a  casual  way.  This  was  Annette's  room  sure 
enough.  Lechmere  remembered  Peretori's  descrip- 
tion well  enough  to  recollect  that.  And  on  the  wall 
high  up  was  a  plaster  cast  of  a  crucifix  with  a  figure 
extended  upon  it.  Lechmere  listened  a  moment 
to  make  quite  sure  that  nobody  was  about,  then  he 
climbed  up  with  the  aid  of  a  chair.  As  he  had  ex- 
pected, the  back  of  the  cast  was  hollow  and  in  the 
cavity  was  a  bundle  of  papers.  Without  the  slight- 
est feeling  of  excitement  he  untied  the  tape  that 
fastened  them,  glanced  his  eyes  over  the  contents, 
and  walked  down  stairs  again.  He  nodded  to 
Roscoe  as  he  passed  out. 

"  Nothing  so  far  as  I  can  see,"  he  said.  "  Don't 
forget  to  apply  for  a  search  warrant." 

He  dismissed  the  four-wheeler  in  the  street  and 
told  Robert  curtly  to  go  about  his  business.  He 
had  no  further  use  for  the  valet-porter.  The  task 
was  done. 

"Well?"  Merehaven  asked  eagerly.  "  Well  ? 
One  can  judge  nothing  from  your  face." 

"  Good  thing  for  me,"  Lechmere  said  imperturb- 
ably.  "  But  what  do  you  think  of  this  ?  There  are 
your  papers." 

And  Merehaven  was  only  too  glad  to  admit  that 
Lechmere  was  right. 


CHAPTER  XLIX 

LOVE   AND   ROSES 

IT  was  late  the  next  afternoon  before  Maxwell 
arrived  in  London.  He  was  still  feeling  ill 
and  shaky,  but  there  was  hope  in  his  heart  now, 
for  Lechmere's  telegram  recalling  him  had  given 
him  reason  to  believe  that  everything  was  perfectly 
settled.  He  dressed  and  walked  as  quickly  as  he 
could  to  Lord  Merehaven's  house.  He  had  been  in- 
structed to  do  so  by  Lechmere's  telegram.  He  was  a 
li ttle  surprised  and  confused  to  find  Lord  Merehaven 
shaking  him  cordially  by  the  hand  and  inviting 
him  to  sit  down. 

"  Everything  has  been  explained,"  Merehaven 
said.  "  You  were  a  little  foolish,  Charles,  but  I 
don't  see  that  you  were  in  the  least  to  blame.  We 
are  all  foolish  where  pretty  women  are  concerned. 
We  know  now  how  the  countess  tried  to  drag  you 
into  the  business,  in  fact  Lancing  had  left  a  letter 
explaining  everything  and  absolutely  exonerating 
you  from  blame.  Of  course  Vera  did  not  know  of 
it  when  she  set  out  on  her  dangerous  mission,  and 
left  that  splendid  creature  Jessie  Harcourt  to  take 
her  place.  It  does  one  good  to  know  that  this  old 
country  can  produce  such  girls.  Nobody  knows 
anything,  not  even  as  to  Lancing' s  letter  or  of  the 
death  of  the  King  of  Asturia.  It  is  alj  settled. " 


314        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

"  Except  as  to  those  missing  papers,"  Maxwell 
said,  suppressing  a  tendency  to  laugh  hysterically. 

"  The  papers  are  recovered,"  Merehaven  chuckled 
as  he  proceeded  to  explain.  "  I  have  seen  Count 
Gleikstein  to-day  and  I  fancy  that  he  will  respect  me 
a  little  more  in  the  future.  We  have  won  all  along 
the  line.  And  the  news  from  Asturia  is  good.  Of 
course  we  in  the  secret  know  how  that  matter  has 
been  arranged — that  Prince  Peretori  played  poor 
King  Erno's  part  and  posed  as  the  king.  Every- 
body believes  that  Erno  has  abdicated  in  favour  of 
Prince  Alix,  who  is  in  the  capital  of  Asturia,  where 
he  was  crowned  yesterday  with  the  acclamations  of 
the  people.  Peretori  is  on  his  way  back  to  England 
and  before  nightfall  the  papers  will  have  it  that  he 
has  reached  London.  The  papers  will  also  say  that 
he  went  at  once  to  the  rooms  of  General  Maxgregor 
and  that  he  was  looking  shockingly  ill.  All  this 
had  been  arranged,  you  understand.  To-morrow 
all  London  will  be  grieved  to  hear  that  the  king 
passed  quietly  away  in  the  night  at  the  general's 
rooms.  That  is  all  right  because  the  body  is  there 
and  Dr.  Varney  will  give  the  necessary  certificate. 
Those  who  wish  to  be  sure  will  see  the  body  for 
themselves.  And  I  don't  forget  how  carefully  you 
managed  that  business,  my  boy,  at  a  time  when  you 
were  knocked  about  in  that  accident.  The  thing 
is  a  most  extraordinary  romance,  one  of  the  strangest 
affairs  that  ever  happened  in  Europe.  But  Europe 
will  never  know  it  and  the  world  will  be  the  poorer 
for  one  of  the  finest  plays  ever  left  unwritten.  I 
forgot  to  say  that  I  probably  vindicated  your  char- 
acter in  the  House  of  Lords  last  night.  I  stretched 
my  conscience  a  bit,  but  it  had  to  be  done.  And 
now  I  am  going  to  give  you  a  few  days'  holiday. 


LOVE   AND   ROSES  315 

Let  me  get  back  to  my  papers  again.  Oh,  I  for- 
got to  say  that  Lady  Merehaven  wants  to  speak  to 
you.  You  will  find  her  in  the  drawing-room,  I 
think." 

Lord  Merehaven  fairly  hustled  his  young  guest 
out  of  the  room  without  waiting  for  any  further 
thanks.  His  step  was  lighter  and  his  eyes  more 
sparkling  than  it  had  been  for  some  days.  All  the 
same,  he  drew  back  a  little  as  he  saw  that  Vera 
Galloway  was  waiting  for  him  alone. 

"  My  aunt  had  to  go  out,"  she  said  demurely. 
"  She  will  not  be  long,  Charlie.  Oh,  my  dear  boy, 
how  foolish  you  have  been,  and  how  splendidly 
you  atoned  for  your  folly." 

Charles  Maxwell  felt  his  heart  beating  a  little 
faster.  He  advanced  with  hands  extended. 

"  So  you  have  forgiven  me,"  he  cried.  "  I 
had  hardly  hoped  for  this,  Vera.  And  yet  I  did 
nothing.  It  was  no  more  than  a  silly  piece  of  vanity. 
But  when  I  found  that  Lancing  was  in  deadly 
earnest " 

"  I  don't  think  we  need  discuss  it,"  Vera  said 
quietly.  "  Naturally  you  took  the  countess  to  be 
an  honest  woman,  you  had  no  idea  that  she  was  a 
mere  adventuress.  What  started  me  on  the  track 
was  a  letter  which  found  its  way  into  my  hands  by 
mistake.  There  was  no  tune  to  lose,  but  I  could  not 
find  you.  I  could  not  find  Captain  Lancing  also. 
You  see,  I  dared  not  take  anybody  into  my  confi- 
dence, for  there  was  always  the  chance  that  you  were 
implicated.  Then  I  thought  of  what  Ronald  Hope 
had  said  about  the  shop  girl  who  was  so  like  me — you 
see  I  happened  to  know  who  she  was.  The  scheme 
flashed  into  my  mind  and  I  put  it  into  operation 
at  once.  I  would  go  and  steal  those  papers  because 


316        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

I  had  a  pretty  good  idea  where  to  find  them.  I 
knew  my  way  about  that  house  as  well  as  I  know 
about  this  one.  And  I  was  successful  beyond  my 
wildest  dreams.  .  .  .  The  rest  I  have  just  heard 
from  my  uncle.  My  dear  Charlie,  what  a  tale  we 
could  tell  Europe  if  we  only  chose." 

But  Charlie  Maxwell  refused  to  say  any  more 
about  it.  He  had  had  a  good  lesson  and  he  was  going 
to  take  it  to  heart.  Meanwhile  all  was  well  that 
ended  well,  he  said.  It  was  a  very  delicious  half 
hour  that  passed  before  a  footman  announced  Miss 
Jessie  Harcourt. 

The  girls  looked  wonderfully  alike  as  they  stood 
side  by  side  and  Maxwell  was  fain  to  admit  it.  He 
saw  Jessie's  eyes  gleam  and  the  colour  come  into  her 
face  as  Ronald  Hope  entered.  He  advanced  at  once 
and  shook  him  cordially  by  the  hand. 

"  '  Be  you  as  pure  as  snow,  and  as  chaste  as  ice, 
thou  shalt  not  escape  calumny,' "  he  quoted.  "  I 
know  there  was  nothing  wrong  as  far  as  you  were 
concerned,  Maxwell.  And  Lancing  either.  They 
tell  me  his  gambling  debts  turned  his  mind,  poor 
fellow.  And  there  were  no  papers  missing  after 
all." 

"  Not  as  far  as  I  am  concerned."  Maxwell  said 
grimly.  "  The  fellows  at  the  club " 

"  Consider  that  you  have  been  infernally  badly 
treated  by  a  mob  of  newspaper  gossips,"  said  Ronald. 
"  By  the  way,  there  is  an  exceedingly  handsome 
apology  in  to-day's  Mercury.  Everybody  is  talking 
about  it.  I  should  let  the  matter  stop  there  if  I 
were  you." 

Everything  fell  out  exactly  as  Lord  Merehaven 
had  predicted.  The  evening  papers  were  full  of  the 
new  Asturian  affair.  They  were  glad  to  find  that 


LOVE   AND   ROSES  317 

Russia  had  been  checkmated  and  that  the  appoint- 
ment of  Prince  Alix  was  likely  to  give  satisfaction. 
They  also  cherished  the  fact  that  King  Erno  was 
back  in  London  and  that  he  was  looking  very  ill. 
The  morning  papers  got  their  innings  in  due  course 
with  the  announcement  that  ex-King  Erno  was  dead, 
and  that  he  had  died  in  the  night  at  General  Max- 
gregor's  rooms.  Dr.  Varney  had  given  a  certificate  of 
death  to  the  effect  that  his  highness  had  succumbed  to 
the  shock  following  on  his  railway  accident,  and  there 
was  no  more  to  be  said.  The  body  of  the  unfortunate 
prince  was  going  to  be  embalmed  and  taken 
back  to  his  country  for  burial.  Count  Gleikstein 
was  puzzled  and  felt  that  he  had  been  in  some  way 
outwitted,  but  there  was  the  corpse  of  the  king 
for  him  to  see,  and  there,  unfortunately  for  him, 
was  Prince  Alix  apparently  firmly  seated  on  the 
throne  of  Asturia.  It  was  impossible  for  the  count 
at  this  juncture  to  hold  any  sort  of  communication 
with  either  Mazaroff  or  Countess  Saens,  seeing  that 
they  were  both  arrested  and  both  had  serious  charges 
hanging  over  them.  Russia  would  have  to  wait  a 
further  opportunity  to  gratify  her  designs  upon 
Asturia. 

"  What  will  be  the  upshot  of  it  all  ?  "  Ronald 
Hope  asked  Jessie  as  the  two  of  them  strolled  in  the 
gardens  behind  Merehaven  House  a  week  later. 
There  had  been  a  small  dinner-party  there  and  the 
ex-Queen  of  Asturia  just  back  from  the  burial  of 
her  husband  had  been  present.  Where  will  she  end, 
Jessie  ?  " 

Jessie  laughed  and  coloured  as  she  replied  to  the 
question.  There  was  nobody  near  so  that  she  kissed 
Ronald. 

"  I  hope  she  will  end  as  happily  as  my  trouble  is 


3i8        THE   WEIGHT   OF   THE   CROWN 

going  to  end  with  you,"  the  girl  said  softly.  "  1 
have  seen  quite  enough  of  the  queen  to  know  where 
her  heart  is.  I  know  the  temptation  that  was  placed 
on  the  shoulders  of  General  Maxgregor  that  fateful 
night.  He  loves  the  ground  that  the  queen  walks 
on.  And  she  knows  it  quite  as  well  as  I  know  that 
you  love  me,  Ronald.  She  would  have  kept  her 
secret  so  long  as  the  throne  was  fairly  under  her. 
But  that  is  all  over,  and  henceforth  Queen  Margaret 
and  Asturia  will  be  strangers.  She  feels  that  she 
has  beaten  Russia  and  that  the  dynasty  is  safe  with 
Prince  Alix.  It  was  a  near  thing,  but  between  us 
we  managed  to  win.  Thenceforth  the  queen  will 
be  no  more  than  a  subject  of  King  Edward  here, 
and  her  happiness  is  in  her  own  hands  if  she  chooses 
to  grip  it." 

Jessie's  voice  trailed  off  to  a  whisper,  for  at  the 
same  moment  ex-Queen  Margaret  came  out  of  the 
house  down  the  lane  with  General  Maxgregor  by 
her  side.  They  were  talking  very  earnestly,  and 
they  passed  by  the  side  of  the  sundial  where  Jessie 
had  stood  not  so  many  nights  before  waiting  for 
the  signal  to  come.  The  queen  said  something  in  a 
broken  voice,  her  head  dropped,  she  held  out  her  hand 
to  Maxgregor  who  carried  it  to  his  lips. 

"  So  that  is  settled,"  the  involuntary  eavesdrop- 
pers heard  him  say.  "  God  bless  you  for  those 
words,  Margaret.  I  always  knew  that  this  would 
come.  And  if  the  passing  of  the  years  does  not 
bring " 

There  was  no  more  to  be  heard.  Jessie  stepped 
forward  and  smiled  as  the  queen  beckoned  her. 

"  You  look  very  happy,  my  child,"  she  said. 
"  And  Captain  Hope  1  Are  you  very  happy, 
Jessie  ?  " 


LOVE   AND    ROSES  319 

"  I  believe  I  am  the  happiest  girl  in  the  world," 
she  said  in  a  voice  that  thrilled.  "Oh,  so  happy, 
your  majesty.  I  only  wish  with  my  heart  that  you 
would  be  the  same." 

"  Do  you  ?  "  the  queen  said  drily.  "  It  is  a 
secret  yet,  but — but  I  am  going  to  ...  try." 


THE   END. 


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